Welcome to the Scarlet Blip! Currently, this is just a beta-test that I’ve been thinking about doing for a little while. Here, I’ll be discussing all kinds of things in reference to my blog and blogging in general and, of course, books. Does that mean I’m some sort of professional? Yeah…no. Just a book blogger here that gets over-excited about books and music and in general. However, I thought about what kind of insight, intrigue, conversational bits, and entertainment I could bring outside my book reviews. This is a great opportunity to connect even more with all of you and I’m pretty excited. So, once a month I’ll the Scarlet Blip for you. The blip part of this is taking the topic(s) and making sure they aren’t forty miles long on you. LOL. Short and sweet because, if we’re honest here, we don’t always enjoy scrolling through a super long post all the time.
For the first blip, we’re following the title. Let’s talk about book blogging!
What?
What is book blogging? Well, for me it’s getting to geek out books I’ve read to others who read books. When I read the excerpts of reviews on the front and backs of books I never thought much about it, except that these reviewers had short thoughts on these books and that these short thoughts were so expressive and endearing and in many cases helped me in deciding whether or not I was going to buy the book. At this point, after blogging for a while myself, I’ve discovered a book review has so much more than just a few sentences.
What do you book blog to begin with? Goodness, there is so much to blog about. Reviews, Lists, Tags, oh my! And it’s so much fun! It also gives me the extra gumption to read more than I did because I get so excited to talk about it. So, blog about the bits that excite you there most in a book. Maybe it’s the story or the theme or the characters or anything! You love it, why not get it out there.
Where?
There are all kinds of places you can get your blog. From WordPress to social media outlets to other blog spots, you pick a spot and just reach out. Simple. To the point. It’s not always the destination that matters
Where do you take your blog? Probably a strange thing to think about, but this was actually one of my struggle-buses when I first began this blog a few years ago. It links back to the What of this article. When I began this blog, I knew I wanted to talk and in my own voice and my own words, not constricted completely by formality. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with formality, but from time to time it’s fantastic to have a perfectly placed fuck-bomb. It’s nice and quite enjoyable and I highly recommend it! Go where your gut takes you. The results will surprise you and spirits will feel lighter.
When?
When do you blog? I totally believe this on your own timeline. For me, I post every other day to every two days. Working two jobs while working on writing projects can make it difficult to get a review up every day. Plus, I’ve got to finish reading the book(s) in order to review them and that can take two to four days, unless it’s super thick and dense. LOL. Then I have to get sections done between other books. Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series is a great example of that right now. I’m currently in the midst of the sixth book.
How long does a review take? Time. That’s what it will always take. It varies for everyone. About five to seven hours is my typical and that’s just because I want to make sure I hit on all of the spots I wanted to discuss and geek out about and to make sure I picked the perfect gifs to express my feelings. The beauty of it? When you’re in the zone, it’ll seem to pass so quickly. Because if it’s dragging for you then maybe there needs to be a change in your style or how you approach the book. What kind of change? You’ll have to discover that for yourself. It’s nothing I can take on for you. Don’t be afraid to shake things up though!
How?
How does one blog about books? Typically, and I don’t speak for other bloggers, just my own little slice, I write about the bits that really grabbed my attention in one way or the other. I find that if I really loved the book I have so much to say and if it wasn’t particularly my brand of whiskey I don’t have much to say at all.
Why?
Why book blog? I feel like I’ve answered this more than once, but one last time for the people in the back, right? I. Love. BOOKS. Isn’t that why we all primarily started a book blog. Sure, I toss my love of music into the mix to add my own flavor because not only is reading my way of life, but music is the spice.
I get to tell people what I’ve read and how it affected me. Whether they actually read the review, give it a quick scroll through, or just click the like button, I’ve gotten to share it all with the world. Am I hoping for some interaction? Well, duh! But, I’m just content to get it all out into the world over looking for subscribers. That doesn’t mean I don’t get that jolt of joy when I’m notified of a new follower. It just means that I write for myself and to connect with others on my favorite subject.
Maybe I’m a psychotic puddle of spazzy excitement or maybe an ocean of overwhelming emotions that have me bawling my eyes out. I just want to share with you guys! Pure and simple, right? Connection with the human race.
Coming to a jarring close, maybe you can relate to this elated feeling when it comes to blogging about books or maybe I’m a crazy person and you’ve decides you’re so done following me. Let me get hippy about it real quick and say, that’s okay. I’m not offended. It takes a lot to offend me. However, if I didn’t have a hope with this blip, it’s that you find something in it that you enjoyed and found useful. I do have to reiterate that I’m not a professional in this, just a personal relator and sharer. As always, happy reading and book hunting, lovely book addicts!
More to come soon…
-K.
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Thoughts? What do you love about book blogs or blogging? A favorite thing? Let’s chat in the comments below.
The Scarlet Reader 
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