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Kit's Korner

by Kit_Carmelite

Rated: 13+ · Book · Inspirational · #1986033

I’d rather write than talk. Nobody interrupts! Posting monthly or less now--see below.

My original purpose for this blog, which I started in August of 2019, was to see if I could maintain consistency, to discover what I want to write about, and to find my writing voice. In January, I started a "niche-less" blog at Wordpress.com where I've published weekly. -- Kit’s Kontemplations

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I'm preparing to start a Catholic blog on Wordpress.com where I'll post weekly, and another site to put the rest of my writing. I also want to spend more time reading other blogs and offering thoughtful comments, both here on WDC and elsewhere. At most, I will publish once a month at no set time in this blog starting in September of 2020.

Thank you to those who have read and rated any posts on this blog. I really appreciate it.

I did NOT want to write “about” me on this blog. I wanted to share my interests, discoveries and maybe a few useful insights. If anything I've written helps even one person, whether or not they respond to the post, then this blog has been successful.

Show Recent Comments

10 Most Recent Blog Comments:

Kit_Carmelite

Aug 23, 2020 at 10:02pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

Hi Kare,

You're exactly right. One size does NOT fit all. Each of the brainwave types have different functions. I use the Delta ones when I want to fall asleep, the Theta ones when I want to meditate. I focused on the Alpha ones in this post because they have a wide range of functions. I was especially interested in how they help creativity.

Kåre เลียม Enga

Aug 23, 2020 at 6:43pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

You do very well researching and presenting what you find but I'm still confused as to why I'd want Alpha waves over the others.

Since I live with depression, anxiety, and occasionally triggered traumas, I'm skeptical of anything with a 'one size fits all' approach.

I looked up the 5 brain waves. Not sure how they apply to me ... except that I'm too alert to sleep well. I'm a big daydreamer which I explain as "motor is running; car is not in gear".

Kit_Carmelite

Aug 11, 2020 at 11:41pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I sent you an email this time instead of replying here. 😃

Kit_Carmelite

Aug 11, 2020 at 11:40pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I admire your writing productivity, Most of my writing has been blog posts and a few essays for WDC contests. I'm not interested in fiction and only experimented with poetry. I'm drawn to non-fiction.

I keep a list of what I want to get done but I don't plan each hour. It's more like blocks of time.

Kåre เลียม Enga

Aug 9, 2020 at 7:16pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

1. I write better when I'm depressed. When I travel my creative juices go into photography and I'm a chatter-box connecting with people. I prefer strangers. At home I withdraw and write.

2. Money?

Yes, I know some people do that but I'm a creative writer not a journalist. Poetry sells ... but it's a money-maker for only a few. I write A LOT. Almost 180 pieces since Spring equinox. My goal is 300-400 per year. One year I went over 1,000. I need to do more editing, polishing, sharing, submitting. Writer's block? Who has time for that? I don't.

3. Love prompts. Love whatever comes to mind. Holding it in or holding it back = big mistake.

Persuant to #3 ... I am learning Norwegian. I do something every day. I am editing photos I took in Taiwan in February ... every day. I need to either go out or take a walk every day. I clean??? Well, that's the problem. I am overwhelmed. Which pertains to your approach to writing.

A. I have put a max (not a minimum) on my time spent cleaning (dishes don't count; they must be done regardless). If I don't I either don't clean or I wear myself out and things don't get done.
B. Enough is enough. Progress not end product. "It's better than before" is my mantra. Otherwise ... I give up before I start.
C. Very loose plan. I do whatever comes to mind. I try not to spend too much time planning instead of 'doing'.

Writing for me is 'vomit on a page ... clean up later'. Taking the same approach to cleaning is helping me overcome my barriers.

I'm trying to balance my life a bit. Not too much because ... that's not me. I don't want a 24 hour scheduled day. 'Things' would get 'done' but I'd be a cipher or numb.

Kåre เลียม Enga

Aug 3, 2020 at 12:14am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I have a weekly 'portal' in my "Porthole" blog (yes, I know that may be confusing).

I made lists of my blogs, poems, flash fictions, et cetera ... mostly to keep track! I get turned around and miss dealines if I don't.

But then ... mid-July I realized that I'm really unbalanced. My travels help with meeting people, planning, overcoming small obstacles, photography and movement (I rarely gain weight when I travel). And here I was sitting at home!

So ... I was getting up and doing the dishes; but, I decided to keep track of whether or not I went out (that's at least 42 steps down and miraculous 42 steps up). I keep track of my Norwegian lessons, and photo editing from previous trips. I also decided that I need to clean about 30 minutes max (because I'll go 'manic' and wear myself out and then do nothing for a week).

Depression and anxiety have been problems for years. This covid-19 situation makes it worse.

Everyone has their own imbalances so it's nice to read that I'm not the only one.

Kåre เลียม Enga

Jul 12, 2020 at 2:15am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

1. I write because at times I am compelled to (inner reasons). I write as therapy. I write to connect to others. I write because I have to (contests). I write more when I'm bored (like now), daydreaming, depressed.

Not to: sell a product, make money, have a 'job'.

2. At times very important because emotions can well up and at least a good cry or rant lets it out. Once 'outside of me' I can then decide what to do with it.

Not: when my anxiety is high or when I'm meeting lots of interesting people on my travels (I do write some and jot down notes but photos become more important).

3. I love certain types of mysteries-detective stories and sci-fi-fantasy and all types of poetry, but I'll read a mix when I'm in the mood for reading. But reading and writing are two different questions. I write poetry, flash fiction. I tend to be lyrical. I focus more on characters than action. I read news and op-eds but write rants.

Not: shallow tourist blogs 'I'm 20 and looking for beer, sex, action' or 'I have thousands of dollars to miss-spend on a luxurious catered vacation' or 'I have something to sell you'. Don't read or write much romance or western and don't write much humor or suburban or millenial angst. I avoid conspiracy theories; they give me headaches.

So there I am.

Now I need to copy/paste and put it in my personal blog to contemplate and revise.

Kit_Carmelite

Jul 5, 2020 at 8:42pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I want to write every day but I struggle to come up with something to write about. I have my pen and notebook in hand then feel "frozen". Even having prompts don't help.

Kåre เลียม Enga

Jul 5, 2020 at 2:05am
In response to "Invalid Entry"

I write to connect to myself and others. I write when inspired and when I'm not inspired. I write crap knowing that some days it's much better than that. I'm old, pensioned and don't need to aswer to no one. Yes, I'm fine with double negatives. I write mostly fiction. Language is my creative tool.

Editing later is very good advice. The internal critic need to shut up. This is not grade school where one has to write a perfect essay in 2O minutes about a topic one knows nothing about or cares about even less. Just my opinion.

Kit_Carmelite

Jun 23, 2020 at 8:25pm
In response to "Invalid Entry"

No advice "fits all sizes". There are periods when "write every day" sounds inspiring and other times when it feels like a ploy to make me feel guilty or inadequate. I'd like to write more than I do yet I put off doing it without knowing why - especially when I always feel better afterward

November 5, 2019 at 8:45pm

#969075

Are blog comments worth the trouble for the blogger?

I want to start a personal blog on WordPress.com and I’m having a hard time deciding whether or not to allow comments. As much as I dislike complexity, I have an even greater aversion to conflict and argument. My available time and energy and attention are limited resources which I would much prefer to employ in writing posts than for moderating comments and purging spam. There are bloggers who have very strong opinions on both sides of this question. This fact makes it obvious that there are no right or wrong answers on this issue that apply to all bloggers.

Enabling comments on my blog is not the only way to allow conversations to happen with readers. None of these alternative methods would be as convenient for the reader as simply enabling comments. Unfortunately, the option that is the most convenient for readers creates the greatest burden for the blogger. Requiring the reader to email or tweet their comment makes the conversation private between him or her and the blogger. Directing the comments to Facebook, Disqus or some other third party commenting system makes the conversation public but also requires an extra step for the commenter which is inconvenient to say the least.

There are valid reasons both for allowing comments, for using other alternatives and for disallowing them completely

Reasons to allow comments

Positive comments will encourage you.

Good quality comments add to the value of your post

Comments can alert you to errors or broken links in your post.

Comments can raise points you never thought of and provide ideas for new posts.

You can receive and answer reader’s questions.

People who see a lot of comments will assume that your blog is popular

Allowing comments shows that you are committed to your blog and helps you maintain credibility. “When we don’t have access to a human aspect, we find it easier to dismiss a blog as just a “brand” or faceless entity that doesn’t care.” —Julie Neidlinger

You’ll make new contacts and may discover new blogs.

Allowing comments creates a bond with your readers and builds trust. “Taking part in your own blog comment section shows the world you’re not a hermit. It says that you are not just a one-way street, blasting your content out to them but unwilling to hear them back.” —Julie Neidlinger

Responding to commenters encourages them to come back to your site.

Reasons to turn off comments

Most comments don’t add any value to the conversation.

Comment boxes attract spam and trolls which are time consuming and frustrating to manage.

A large volume of comments can make your site slow and less responsive.

The number of comments is not an indication of how many people are visiting your blog yet having too few comments may send the wrong message about the quality of your content

Negative comments are not only distracting and discouraging, they could have a negative impact on your writing.

Dealing with comments can cause plenty of stress if the topic of your post or if your niche attracts argumentative critical readers.

Poor or obnoxious comments can make the post seem to be of poorer quality. Stupid comments can make you look stupid.

Allowing comments make the time-consuming task of moderation essential.

If you don’t have time to daily moderate comments, disabling them may be the best option.

“Many commenters want to be able to interact in real-time with blog comment sections, so a moderator review option may discourage communication as much as a disabled comment section would. If you do not have a consistent amount of time each day to monitor your blog comments and respond to each, then you may be better off disabling them.” —The Pros and Cons of Allowing Blog Comments by Pingler

Conclusion

Though enabling comments enabled on your blog is not the only way to have conversations with your readers, it is the simplest and most preferable method for readers. In the early stages of blogging when I’m likely to have very few readers, I will allow comments. If I ever get so many comments that it takes too muvh time to moderate them, I’ll consider directing commenters to Twitter or some other option. I am an introvert who hates conflict so, if I am going to post on controversial topics, I may not want to deal with comments in any fashion. As you can see, I’m still conflicted about this.

Sources

— Are Blog Comments Good or Bad? By Kris Gunnars BSc- https://searchfacts.com/blog-comments-good-or-bad/

— 10 Reasons You Should Be Using Blog Comments By Julie Neidlinger - https://coschedule.com/blog/blog-comments/

— Debate! Should You Allow Comments on Your Blog? Find Out What Two Remarkably Popular Bloggers Think — https://fizzle.co/sparkline/debate-should-you-allow-comments-on-your-blog-find-o... -

— Yes, blog comments are still worth the effort - https://gigaom.com/2012/01/04/yes-blog-comments-are-still-worth-the-effort/

— Dumb Comments by Others Make YOU Look Dumb - https://www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/dumb-comments.htm

— The Pros and Cons of Allowing Blog Comments - https://pingler.com/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-allowing-blog-comments/

— Should You Disable Blog Comments on Your Blog? - https://pingler.com/blog/the-pros-and-cons-of-allowing-blog-comments/

— Should You Just Remove the Comment Section from Your Blog - https://selfmadesuccess.com/just-remove-comment-section-blog/

— A Blog Without Comments Is Not A Blog - https://blog.codinghorror.com/a-blog-without-comments-is-not-a-blog/

— 3 Questions To Ask Yourself About Blog Comments - https://www.patrickkphillips.com/blogging/3-questions-to-ask-yourself-about-blog...

— Matt Gemmel’s first post about removing comments - http://mattgemmell.com/comments-off/

— Matt Gemmel’s follow-up post “Comments Still Off” - http://mattgemmell.com/comments-still-off/

Monique from Ottawa, Canada

No matter what, WRITE!

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