Comments for Bad Mummy

Comment on YOLO: I’m done, for the minute at least by Fiona

Fiona — Sun, 13 May 2012 10:28:53 +0000

Best wishes for the new ventures *hugs*

Comment on YOLO: I’m done, for the minute at least by Pixie

Pixie — Sat, 12 May 2012 22:19:53 +0000

If it's not singing for you and has become that much of a chore, it's a good time to put it on hold. Maybe you'll come back to it when your girls are a bit bigger, maybe not. Much better to do something you love.

Comment on YOLO: I’m done, for the minute at least by Denyse

Denyse — Sat, 12 May 2012 12:16:50 +0000

Following your heart. & head is hard. But I know where you are coming from too. Hope this gives you what you want. Take care. denyse

Comment on YOLO: I’m done, for the minute at least by kdorothy

kdorothy — Sat, 12 May 2012 09:14:51 +0000

Sorry to see you go, Bec. But as you say, if you're not passionate about this blogging stuff, then forcing it isn't going to work. It just becomes another chore… Good luck with your other endeavours!

Comment on Let me tell you a story by Kathy

Kathy — Sat, 12 May 2012 06:49:04 +0000

I write middle grade / YA and detective fiction – cosy genre. I suspect strongly that the middle grade is the best of it and that's what I'll probably do more of.

I think that's an excellent point, that what people *say* they want to read and what they *actually* want to read are not the same thing. My blog, I would say, is mostly emotionally neutral – neither upbeat nor the opposite – but when I do write unhappy / melancholy / "real" posts, they get no traction whatsoever. The same is true when I write highly sentimental / misty-eyed happy posts too. Actually, the only emotion that I have ever written in that drew lots of eyes is WHITE HOT RAGE. People do seem to like a rant.

I am increasingly moving my blog towards being about the life of the mind / externally focused rather than about my family and my inner world, anyway. Book reviews and discussions, current social issues, literacy and learning, etc are taking up most of my space now and I'm good with that. Readership numbers haven't changed – if anything they have climbed a little – so maybe people actually *don't* want to read "the real life", or at least not mine. Maybe my real life is dull.

Comment on Let me tell you a story by Bad_Mummy

Bad_Mummy — Sat, 12 May 2012 06:24:24 +0000

Before Erin was born I wrote romantic fiction and spent a lot of time reading other more well seasoned writers thoughts on what people really want from a romance novel. The conclusion was that while they say they'd like to read a novel that didn't necessarily have the "happily ever after" when it's written they don't read or it gets bad reviews.

Recently I've been wondering if people only *say* they want a blogger to be "real" but what they really want is the constantly positive blogs out there and I don't think I can write that. Even people who suffer from depression don't really want to read about it…unless you can make it funny. I'm sorry but living on a knifes edge and trying not to snap at everyone who looks at me isn't my idea of humour.

Comment on Ebooks: how much would you pay? by Kathy

Kathy — Sat, 12 May 2012 06:19:41 +0000

I don't buy ebooks yet, but I'm getting a tablet for my birthday in June and will be after that. I am thinking I'd probably pay up to half of the print price without blinking, and maybe as much as 2/3 depending on the title. Like you, I think 3/4 or more is just excessive and I'd be unlikely to pay it.

Comment on Let me tell you a story by Kathy

Kathy — Sat, 12 May 2012 06:10:13 +0000

I know. Oh, how I know this feeling.

I think I've answered the question for myself, anyway – if I stop blogging, I will still be a writer. I'm building a business writing consultancy (slowly!) and I write lots of fiction still. That fire isn't quenched.

My blog often feels like I'm talking to myself these days and on one level that's OK – I am not trying to monetise so I don't have to stress about stats too much. On another level, because I have tight limits around what I will and won't discuss on the Internet, I wonder sometimes if it might not be more satisfying to just write an offline journal, in which I could write it ALL without self-censorship, and not worry about the public gaze at all.

Comment on Let me tell you a story by Denyse Whe

Denyse Whe — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:53:07 +0000

Bec, I read you loud and clear…& I get that too. I have no answer other than I know.

Comment on Despite test results your excessive tiredness must be caused by being fat by Hel

Hel — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:14:47 +0000

Unfortunately most GPs these days aren't encouraged to view patients as people, merely blocks of time. Since it's now standard that they can only allocate a maximum of 15 minutes per patient & cram in as many as possible, it's become hard to find one who's happy to sit down & actually listen to you. Hospitals are just as bad. I've started keeping a note on my iphone listing all of Ben's meds & patient history so I can just hand it over to every doctor/nurse who asks the same questions as the last 50 people. They all dutifully write it into the patient file as well, so I can only conclude that they somehow find it easier to make the sick recite everything over & over. No wonder they miss things when your medical history turns into a game of chinese whispers!

Definitely get a second opinion. I know firsthand how messed up a thyroid can make you & once that annoying little thing is sorted it's amazing what a difference it makes. I also love how judgemental even doctors can be about weight when they really should be checking to make sure there isn't illness or a side-effect of medication that's causing the problem. You'd hope they'd be able to avoid leaping to conclusions.