I got the sweetest letter from one of my readers a few days ago. It was titled “Very sorry if I’m bothering you”, which made me shake my head a little bit.
“Bothering”? Do I seem like someone who is easily bothered? Do you think I’m drenched in mails from people, to busy to care or notice? How do you really picture the life of a blogger? I’ll tell you the truth. We’re not bothered at all by this kind of letters. At least not any blogger I know of. Any reader contact totally makes my day. “Someone is reading my thoughts and reacting to it. Yay, I exist!”. Listen to the logic of a blogging mind.
Anyway: back to the letter. It was written by Holly, who had noticed that my bartender had left his position and wondered if I’d be interested in getting some guest posts. She wanted to try out blogging, but couldn’t post often enough to keep up a blog of her own.
I told her the truth: that I’m currently not looking for a new regular co-writer for the inn. On the other hand I wouldn’t mind if a guest occasionally would hit their glass, calling for attention. On the contrary, it would be nice if people wanted to share what’s on their mind with the other ladies and gentlemen hanging by the bar disk. My only requirement is that the content and tone in the post should be somewhat in line with the ordinary posting, and it must also be interesting enough to grab the attention of the innkeeper herself.
So I’m hereby introducing a new label at the inn: “It came from the bar”. This will be like a Speakers Corner, where wanna-be-bloggers-maybe-one day can get a chance to clear their throat and let out their blogging voices. Some of them might find it enchanting and interesting and rewarding as I do and move on to start their own blogs one day. And for some of them it might be a one-time-only experience.
We’ll see what will come out of it. It is an experiment. Maybe it will end up in a one-time-only event. Maybe Holly – and other inn visitors – will speak up again. No matter what I promise it won’t take over the blog in any way. The PPI is and will remain Larísa’s domain.
“Bothering”? Do I seem like someone who is easily bothered? Do you think I’m drenched in mails from people, to busy to care or notice? How do you really picture the life of a blogger? I’ll tell you the truth. We’re not bothered at all by this kind of letters. At least not any blogger I know of. Any reader contact totally makes my day. “Someone is reading my thoughts and reacting to it. Yay, I exist!”. Listen to the logic of a blogging mind.
Anyway: back to the letter. It was written by Holly, who had noticed that my bartender had left his position and wondered if I’d be interested in getting some guest posts. She wanted to try out blogging, but couldn’t post often enough to keep up a blog of her own.
I told her the truth: that I’m currently not looking for a new regular co-writer for the inn. On the other hand I wouldn’t mind if a guest occasionally would hit their glass, calling for attention. On the contrary, it would be nice if people wanted to share what’s on their mind with the other ladies and gentlemen hanging by the bar disk. My only requirement is that the content and tone in the post should be somewhat in line with the ordinary posting, and it must also be interesting enough to grab the attention of the innkeeper herself.
So I’m hereby introducing a new label at the inn: “It came from the bar”. This will be like a Speakers Corner, where wanna-be-bloggers-maybe-one day can get a chance to clear their throat and let out their blogging voices. Some of them might find it enchanting and interesting and rewarding as I do and move on to start their own blogs one day. And for some of them it might be a one-time-only experience.
We’ll see what will come out of it. It is an experiment. Maybe it will end up in a one-time-only event. Maybe Holly – and other inn visitors – will speak up again. No matter what I promise it won’t take over the blog in any way. The PPI is and will remain Larísa’s domain.
16 comments:
I like this idea, but I would have called it something that gave the feel that the posts are kind of like stories, are ones that are passed around the bar table. To me, doing this could give larisa another dimension- that of a storyteller. You work there day in and day out, and hear people talk about their lives, you hear recount the best and worst of times.
Oh, I just like the "mystique" feel of it :)
I'm totally open for suggestions. Give me some ideas and I might rename it. Hm...something connecting to the storytelling in a bar... please help me out!
Here is what I am currently thinking, which I will have to roleplay a bit to get you to see how I am thinking the title could tie in with the Inn itself.
At this point in time, I have this image of how the Pink Pigtail Inn would be operated. You, larisa, would be behind the bartable, talking with all the guests. While you might have a sip now and again of ale, rare is it to see you on the other side of thr bar. sitting in the barstool for once. Perhaps you do this near closing time, after having poured yourself a tall glass of whatever it is you yearn for, and that's when you begin to recite tales that have found their way into your inn.
At this point, you almost transform from the bartender to a story teller, all patrons surrounding you like a campfire, listening attentively, for your stories are always the best. More than once has a tear been shed, more then one beer spilled from laugher, more than one heart swayed by great insight as to what it means to be human.
I really am having a hard time giving a title to something as cool as the scenerio above and convincing myself that it does it any justice.
I will keep thinking though!
What a lovely description! I'm not into RP in the game or the inn (even though I'd like to try one day), but still - I have that image in my head too. I don't really adjust my writing to it. But still it's there. It was from this image that the blogg was born - it was a metaphore that I used to understand myself what blogging was about - at least my version of it.
There is no question to the fact that guest posters would have to rename their title to fit the theme which you choose, so I will use the current post you have "World of Raidcraft" and run with that.
Here is the only one I have liked enough, so far, to share with you with confidence that you might just like it.
"Barside Parables: Recounts of a Raider of Old"
I don't RP ingame or on my blog either, but as of recently it would be hard for me to say that it doesn't look like I soon will be. More and more are my posts at the arcanery more abstract rather than concrete, such as in Philosophy versus game mechanics.
But if I get into it, as I really am with this concept, I tend to run with it and in a way almost to the point of overkill (as you can see by my constant posting here in your comments section, haha.)
But I am glad that you liked it, it makes it all the more worthwhile knowing someone else enjoyed it as much as I.
Hm... I don't know if my English is good enough to follow. "parables". I've never heard the word. I looked it up and it said that it was the same as "allegory". Has it got any other meaning?
"Parable: a usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle"
Essentially, parables are stories that are meant to give a moral of some sort.
Most often you find this word used to describe religious stories that try to instill some moral belief, but it can be used in other ways.
I looked up synonyms for "story" and found that, and thought it might fit.
I also really liked the sound of the word too, /wink
Perhaps you can add some Swedish flair into the title and have it not be in English, perhaps using a popular phrase for stories and tales that is not familiar to those using the English Language?
Oh dear, oh dear. I'll ponder a bit more on it.
Always fun to read something new. Interesting ideas will get a reply as usual ;)
Parables... brings back memories form our religious courses when I was a child. The parable of the lost son, the parable of the talents (gold pieces), the parable of the Samaritan, Lazarus...
I'll take it you weren't brought up religious :)
I was not, nor am I now.
So, having said that, it's likely that perhaps most people associate the world parable with religious texts only. So many that wouldn't be a good word to use.
*so maybe that wouldn't be the best one to use.
Though, then again, I dont think there will be must confusion when you add the word Barside in there. But then again, who knows xD
Anecdotal Ales
---Or---
Ales and Tales, maybe?
Just brainstorming. :)
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