Is Blogging Addictive?

I say... yes. Not just yes, but Hell, yes!

Why do I say that? I "bookmarked" yet another blog this morning, courtesy of my pal Sloane Taylor. (You should check out her website--it's beautiful.) I already have Sloane's blog as one of my favorites. Now I've added Cabbages and Kings, a blog by author PJ Parrish. I especially like her November 8th entry -- Wanna Be a Writer? Get Real! In there she lists the 15 things you should never do (don't procrastinate; don't beat yourself up as you go along (or, as I call it, it's okay to write crap the first time around); don't neglect your theme; don't get personal, and lots more.) Go check it out. It's good stuff.

Then there's the one that Jenna turned me onto. Clublife, the blog of a bouncer in NY, is a funny and oft-times poignant look at life. It's interesting to me on a couple of levels: 1. He's a guy. I like to see a guy's perspective on things; 2. I like to get a feel for how guys write. Let's face it, they're different than women (thank the good Lord!) in so many ways, but especially in the way their brains are wired. They think differently. They express themselves (or not!) differently. (That's one thing I struggle with when I'm in my hero's POV. Making sure he sounds like a man, not a woman. And not just like any man, but like an Alpha. For example, the first time a man sees an attractive woman, does he notice that her hair seems to sparkle in the sunlight? Or is he checking out the T&A? According to Sloane's significant other, it's just about always about the T&A.) It's just very... interesting to me. The cool thing about this guy? He got a book deal because someone (I don't remember now... an editor or agent someone) read his blog and thought, hey, this guy's got good stuff to say here.

Do I think that I'll get a book deal from my blog? No. That kind of thing is the exception, not the rule. I blog to wake up my brain, to prepare for the day's writing, to connect with my readers (when I get 'em), and to share with other writers what I'm learning as I go down this path in the writer's journey. And, as I've said before, it makes for one hell of a procrastination tool.

Which brings me back to my original question. Is blogging addictive?

Hell, yes.