Although you might think A Scenic Route has joined the ranks of endangered blog species, I want to assure everyone that I’m still here. I know that during the busy NaNoWriMo season my posts are dwindling until they’re almost nonexistent, but hopefully I will return from my expedition into literary abandon with the bones of another novel on my hard drive.
Meanwhile though, I wanted to send a bit of encouragement out to some fellow bloggers who might need a boost. Luckily, there’s a blogfest for that!
It’s called, Oh, How I Miss You, and is co-hosted by three fine gentlemen: Alex J. Cavanaugh, Andrew Leon and Matthew McNish. It prescribes listing three blogs that I would miss if they were to disappear and three that I miss now that they’ve faded into the murky depths of the world-wide web.
I’ll start with the blogs I would miss if they were gone:
- Ink: You want book reviews? Playlists? Witty and insightful commentary? Ink’s got you covered. There’s even a chair rating to size up the novel, ranging from downright cozy to hideously insufferable.
- Kristina Stanley: Posts with novel-writing tips, sunsets and turquoise seascapes from on board a Lagoon 380 S2 catamaran, not to mention snapshots of a dog named Farley cavorting on the beach are always a most welcome visitor to my inbox. Especially now that winter’s on the way, I will need my three times weekly dose of sunshine more than ever.
- Vikki at The View Outside: Vikki’s self-deprecating posts about her writing journey are always a welcome dose of inspiration. Her determination, story snippets and triumphs always make for interesting discussions in the comments. She’s on hiatus for November during NaNoWriMo, but I sure hope she comes back soon!
Then there are the blogs where I search in vain for new posts in my Inbox. I miss you guys!
- Mike Schulenberg: Fun filled banter on topics ranging from cocktail tables shaped like octopi to the algebra of the damned never failed to bring a smile to my face even on the gloomiest of days. It seems his journey has taken him away from the web for the time being, but I never give up hope that he will return with more stories from his Realms of Perilous Wonder
- Lynne Revette Butler: I found her blog during the A to Z challenge and was treated to a summer of gorgeous photographs taken from her garden in South Oxfordshire, England. Now that fall has settled over the northern hemisphere, I hope I don’t stop receiving the occasional greeting from England.
- Melinda Hagenson: A fellow Holly Lisle Writers’ Boot Camp student and college English teacher, Melinda writes gorgeous posts about life in Wisconsin and shares many a useful grammar tip. Thanks to her blog I can now wield a semicolon with authority. I hold out hope that she will post a nugget or two in the busy fall semester!
Who would you miss if they stopped posting? Do you know any blogs on the endangered species list?
Hey,
Glad to hear you’re not in the missing column 🙂
Will have to check out those blogs – a recommendation from you is always a great sign:)
Good luck with nananannanannooooooooo 🙂
Thanks Mark. 🙂
With Nano, I’m at the point where I’m asking myself, Why, oh why? did I decide to try to write 50k in one month?
I’ll get past that, I hope. Either way, it sure is a learning experience.
I’ll never stop blogging though. I just need a breather once in a while. 🙂
What a great idea for a blog hop. I also love Vikki’s blog and would miss it if it disappeared. I shall check out the other two you have suggested.
Hi Rebecca,
I thought it was an awesome idea for a blog hop too! It was actually difficult to narrow it down to three, but it was fun to think of blogs that I missed. 🙂
Tables shaped like octopi? Now that is an unusual subject!
Thanks for participating in our blogfest.
This was a great idea for a blogfest!
And when I saw that cool octopus table I knew I wanted one of my very own. Since my budget is limited though, I did the next best thing and wrote it into a story. 🙂
Thank you so much for the plug and the encouragement, Kirsten–I’m so glad you like the blog! The good news is that I’m not endangered; I’ve just been in cold storage, so to speak. I’ll be back on track after Christmas, and in the meantime, I’ll try to get a post or two up before the semester ends. 🙂
Thanks for pointing to some favorite blogs–I’m looking forward to checking them out!
You’re so welcome, Melinda!
It’s good to hear that you’re still around. I can always use a grammar tip or two. 🙂
None of those blogs you mention ring a bell for me. I’m sure I’ve run across some of them somewhere sometime. I’ll have to check them out.
Lee
A Faraway View
They’re all definitely worth a visit!
These sound like some very interesting blogs. I’ll have to check them out!
I’m always awed by the diversity of cool stuff I find in the blogosphere. It’s fun to share the wealth. 🙂
I think I would get discouraged if some of the blogs I follow stopped posting. I’ve come to count on their humor and encouragement.
Hi Susan,
I find myself missing certain voices in my email as well, which is why I loved the idea of this blogfest. 🙂
I hope I can encourage some of my favorite bloggers to venture back onto the world-wide web!
I don’t think I’m familiar with any of those blogs. I guess that’s the biggest benefit of this hop! I just need more time to check them all out!!
Hi Elizabeth,
I’ve found some really cool blogs through this blog hop too. 🙂
I don’t think I know any of those people. I will have to check them out!
Like just about everybody else, I don’t know those bloggers. But it’s a bummer when a blogger you really like drops off the blogosphere!
They’re definitely worth a visit. 🙂
I don’t know any of your selections. My new blog reading list is really growing from this blogfest.
Hi Rhonda,
Sorry I missed you! The blogs I gave are some of my favorites, so they are definitely worth a visit. 🙂
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the mention.
Kristina, you do a great job on your blog. I’m glad to have a chance to share it with my blogger friends!
First of all, thank you so much for your kind words you left on my blog.
And I don’t know ANY of the blogs you would miss, so now I must check them out!
Hi Jay,
You’re very welcome.
I admit, some of the blogs I visit are somewhat obscure. I really hope I can do my little part to change that! 😉
Hi, Kirsten 🙂 Thanks very much for the shout-out for my blog, even if I haven’t made a post in too long. I get so sidetracked with school and stuff sometimes 🙁
I totally understand. No matter how sporadic your posts might be, I always look forward to reading them. Good luck with school!
More blogs I’m not familiar with, so I should go check those out.
Definitely! You’ll be glad you did. 🙂
I haven’t seen/heard of these blogs either, so will be checking them out! Thanks for the recs. Hope you are having fun with NaNo — good luck!! 🙂
Thanks, Arlene 🙂
It wasn’t easy narrowing it down to three either. Check ’em out when you have a chance!
Great choices!
Hi Jamie,
Yeah, I thought so too. 🙂
Best of luck with NaNo! You’re a braver soul than I 🙂
Sarah Allen
(From Sarah, with Joy)
Hi Sarah,
Welcome to A Scenic Route. 🙂
I love NaNoWriMo! 50k? Literary abandon? Sign me up!
Is your good-looking muse lurking nearby or are you on your own with NaNo?
Thanks for the blog tips. I’m checking out Mike S.
Funny you should ask. This was ‘his’ idea! I think I needed to stretch my wings a bit this month before settling back down to my revisions.
Mike Schulenberg is hilarious so definitely check out his blog. He’s been away for a while, but I don’t doubt he’ll be back with more fun posts.
Hi Kirsten, I just want so say thanks for all the support in 2013. Thanks for all the comments and insights!. Happy New Year.
Happy New Year, Kristina!