Why blog?

I've kept a very sporadic blog on MySpace over the last year and change, mostly just recording funny quotes from my friends and other random tidbits. I never really considered keeping a proper blog, mostly because it'd be so easy to slide into a routine of self-indulgent twaddle. It never occurred to me that keeping a blog would be a great way to spread the word about Mary Modern in cyberspace until one of the savvy marketing gals at Crown suggested it. So here we are.

I'm not going to talk all that much about the novel, though, except to discuss the practical aspects of writing and publishing. I'm figuring that once this blog officially launches there'll be more than a few aspiring novelists coming across it, so I'd like to post the most practical advice I can come up with. (For now, read this. Bookmark it. Print it out and put it over your desk. The first time I read it that poem totally lit a fire under my ass, which is just what you need when you're in that initial phase of talking about wanting to write, but you're not really doing any writing...yet.)

I like the idea of a miscellany. I'd love to be able to turn you on to cool but relatively obscure books; post photos (apart from what's already on my website) and reviews/essays of/on my favorite Irish accommodations, restaurants, and sights (and possibly even videos...we'll work on that); and for the more domestically inclined, we can share recipes and knitting patterns and suchlike.

I've only been knitting for a little over two years, but it seems I do as much knitting as writing these days. I really dig the idea of eschewing mass production as much as possible, and one's wardrobe seems like the most natural place to start. Yes, I might drop $60 on yarn for a single sweater. But I can make it to my exact taste, and more importantly I'll never have to wonder if it was made in a sweatshop (the yarn definitely isn't). And if it falls apart, I know who to blame! It's such a terrific hobby, relaxing and productive at the same time, and I'm lucky to have a family who appreciates handmade gifts. And I enjoy checking out other people's knitting blogs--it's the best way to find cool new patterns, technical tips, and general inspiration. So on occasion I'll try to provide a bit of the same.

I also want to keep posting humorous bits of dialogue. My friend Kelly B. used to keep a blog in which she sometimes posted such funny exchanges, and I've invited her to come back and blog here whenever she likes. Kelly is a naturally funny girl. Her improv group, No Laugh Track Required, is performing on Monday, February 11 at Caroline's--only the biggest comedy club in all of New York!

Basically, if we think anybody might find it in any way useful or amusing, we're going to post it here.