At the writer's conference I attended in February, when the presenters were talking about the logistics of sending out queries and/or synopsises (what the hell is the plural for that word?), several of them mentioned how good it looks on your query letter to be able to show a blog. The content of the blog is pretty much irrelevant, it's the endurance of the blog that matters more. Potential agents and publishers simply like to see that you are someone who is committed to writing regularly.
This was bittersweet news for me. The sweet part is that I've been blogging regularly since August of 2009. Sustainability with writing is definitely not a problem.
The bitter part is that I switched over to a new blog last year, so my current blog shows barely one year of posts.
My original purpose for switching over to a new blog was because Shan and I intended to do this one together and we needed a fresh place to start. Now, with that out of the equation, I've decided--well, I THINK I've decided--to import all of my posts from Ocean in a Cup to Writeapy. No more two blogs, no more linking back to posts from a past blog--everything together. BUT there would be a lot of disjointed posts. The "Goodbye" post on Ocean, for example, would no longer make much sense. Nor would the "Welcome" post on Writeapy. All my current links to my old blog would have to be changed. Basically the process of importing those posts would leave me with a lot of loose ends to deal with. But any prospective agents who clicked on my blog would see five years worth of posts instead of barely one, and that's a pretty big plus.
This brings me to question #1: Should I do it? I'm leaning toward yes, unless I hear a compelling reason NOT to.
Which brings me to question #2: If I go through with this, what should I name the new combined blog? Ocean in a Cup or Writeapy? Right now I have both URLs. I like Writeapy a lot, but it sounds so much like a writer's blog. Yes, some of my posts are about writing, but when they're mixed in there with posts about dreaming of giant copper toilets or accidentally spaying my cat twice, it might be a bit of a misnomer. Ocean in a Cup, on the other hand, is not quite as snappy of a title, but I've always been super fond of it. It's unique (even though part of it came from a CD label) and captures the essence of my blog. In my mind, anyway. I explained my rationale for the title on my old blog, but right now I'll just say it's just more personal to me and leave it at that. But switching over to Ocean means yet another change of URL...ugh. Again. Such a pain. And maybe the title is weird and I just don't realize it because it's special to me.
So back to question #2: Which name? Kristyn, Shan, Ifeoma, and anyone else who cares to weigh in, help! Rick and Jewls, you guys can e-mail me with your opinion since I know you won't comment here (see that? I called you all out by name to ensure responses. So devious. Don't kill me Jewls).
This is one of those things where I am TRULY going with what the majority says.
By the way, Ocean in a Cup expires in about a week, so I need to decide fast.
Ocean in a Cup! I love them both, but I really love Ocean in a Cup. I think it's deeper, and it also sounds a lot cooler than Writeapy in my opinion. Ocean in a Cup is a fantastic name!
ReplyDeleteDiva Fluffy Muffins
Thanks for the feedback kiddo!
DeleteI'm leaning toward Ocean in a Cup, too. It can encompass a lot of different things. ^_^
ReplyDeleteI moved my blog last October. It's not as much work as it sounds. I switched from Blogger to Wordpress, too, so there were category and tagging changes. Disjointed posts are really okay. Especially since you can always add a quick explanation to the top.
That makes me feel a whole lot better Krystal--thank you! I'm actually strongly considering switching over to Wordpress too. I've just about had it with Blogger. But I was never aware that you could import posts from Blogger to Wordpress? I might have to pick your brain about that if I decide to make the switch.
DeleteYeah, if you do, definitely! Go right ahead. It's a lot easier than I thought it was going to be, which is why I waited so long to do it. But everything transferred, comments, formatting, pictures. The only thing I had to do was re-upload was a YouTube video.
DeleteOh my gosh, that is great news! I'm going to do it! I mean, I'll have to wait until summer break (four weeks away) so I have time for that kind of overhaul, but I'm totally doing it. YAY!
DeleteHey Jojo, I like "Ocean in a Cup." Definitely. ~Shan
ReplyDeleteThanks for weighing in Sho!
ReplyDeleteRick voted (via e-mail) for Ocean too, so that's four for Ocean so far, and none for Writeapy.
Yes, import and then delete the disjointed posts--when you import, be aware that it can screw up your comments, so you'll get the posts, but the comments (and possibly pictures) might be all over the place. Also, I vote for Ocean in a Cup! I think it's very you, which is what you want in a blog name anyhow.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the heads up about the comments Kristyn. I'm thinking the hassle of switching over is still worth the effort. I am REALLY done with blogger. So that will be my first summer project. =)
DeleteThanks for your "vote"--I meant it when I said I would stick with whatever you guys said, but I must have secretly been hoping Ocean in a Cup would get chosen, because I feel all this relief now about this particular verdict.
Are you planning on moving away from Blogger? I think I must have missed that in your post (I swear, I've read it over three times now!). lol
DeleteHehe Kristyn--that decision happened in the comments (not the blog post), hence your confusion. It started with Krystal's first comment from above and goes from there.
DeleteI realise I'm a newcomer to reading your wonderful blog (either one), but FWIW, I love Ocean in a Cup. I think they're *both* snappy, but OIAC conjures immediate images that stick -- very poetic and easily remembered, I think :)
ReplyDeleteBest of luck on your merge! I hope it's a smooth transition :)
Thanks Cheyenne! Given that your blog has the BEST title ever (especially for us writers, constantly taking those blind leaps of faith), I'm going to heartily take your word on this.
Delete(Okay, I'll admit it helps that everyone who chimed in before you seems to agree with you too). ;-D
Thanks for the well-wishes. I'm really excited to merge the two and get my original blundering posts added to all my recent ones.
Sorry I'm late!
ReplyDeleteGuess I'm in the minority here but I love Writeapy, and when I read this in my inbox, my first thought was Writeapy In A Cup (which is so so silly) but I get the idea of an Ocean In A Cup--- the ocean of your thoughts being condensed into a blog post, right? And it even sounds romantic! (reminds me somehow of Postcards From Heaven, the title of an album from Lighthouse Family).
Why do you want to switch to wordpress? I love wordpress but one thing I hate is how I can't scroll down the archives and see the blog titles under the months. It's a small problem anyway, but one I am yet to stop missing after all these years. It's important, especially when stalking :p, although stalking is one thing I've not had the time to do of late.
I know I've stalked Ocean In A Cup before, but can't wait for you to merge everything!
Thanks for chiming in Ify (and better late than never--always). Sadly, you are the only one who voted for "Writeapy," and that includes five additional votes via twitter and e-mail. So I am definitely going with my older blog's title of "Ocean in a Cup." And yes--you nailed it with your description--"the ocean of your thoughts being condensed into a blog post." Why have I never thought to state it THAT simply?
DeleteI want to get away from Blogger because it glitches a lot, and I find commenting on it a little un-user-friendly. Wordpress strikes me as having a cleaner interface and more superior features. But I didn't realize that Wordpress doesn't show the individual blog titles beneath each month...I thought that was just the blog owner's personal preference to have those titles hidden. That's a big deal to me! I love that feature. I myself use it when I'm trying to remember when a certain event happen, or when I'm trying to pull up a post from two years ago to read to a friend who's going through a similar thing. Plus how ever will my stalkers ransack my posts if they're not individually listed? ;) Yikes. I'll have to take that into consideration now.
I actually love Ocean In A Cup more now, what with reading your new blog post XD. Writeapy sounds more um...structured. And you're OUTSTANDING.
DeleteI love you're sticking with blogger. Yay for stalking!
Haha, I never thought about that, but you're right! Writeapy DOES sound more structured. I think it's a great name, it's just not MY blog's name, if that makes any sense.
DeleteI'm almost done overhauling things at Ocean in a Cup, so any day now I'll be making that switch.
And yeah, I gotta have my stalkers' backs, ya know? They work hard to do all that lurking about. ;)