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BW Readers and Their Dogs!

5/28/2014

3 Comments

 
Wow, dear readers--I can't thank you enough for the outpouring of love, good wishes, and virtual hugs you've sent me since my last post.  I really am touched.  I miss my dog terribly, and know I will for a long time, but it's heartening to see all the puppy love happening in the wide, wide world.  Here are all the (nearly 100) photos readers sent in!  (I think this is all of them, but if I somehow missed yours, let me know.)  Enjoy the gallery!
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World's smallest dog
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One of my favorite readers as a little boy with his dog. (This little boy has grown into one of the most loving, intelligent, and interesting guys I know! I love ya, DP!)
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Ceci n'est pas un chat.
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Some awesome dog gymnastics.
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No, don't push the puppy into the water!
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FORCING their dog to sleep on a RAINBOW pillow!? See, this is why the gays shouldn't be allowed to adopt. This poor dog might even end up GAY!
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SO cute, aren't they??  And the dogs aren't half bad, either.  ;) 

Seriously, all: thank you.  It means a lot.

3 Comments

Guess Who's Back?

11/16/2013

24 Comments

 
Well, folks, it's been nearly FIVE months since I talked to any of you.  But lest you thought I'd fallen off the face of the earth, I'm popping my butch little head up to say hello.  It's not that work has abated--goodness knows THAT hasn't happened--nor that I think I can write every day, or even every week.  Rather, I sort of thought I'd know when it was time for me to come back, even occasionally, and it's time.

In the spirit of re-acquainting ourselves, I'm going to list some things that have happened to me in the last five months.  Then YOU list a couple of things that have happened to YOU in the last five months.  Deal?

Okay, here's mine:
  • I travel to Boston.  I am there for less than 48 hours, and am addressed as "sir" three times.
  • My dog is diagnosed with a rare condition called "idiopathic abdominal effusion," which--from what I can tell--means, "Your dog swells up and we don't know why."  Expensive surgery and much ultrasounding ensues.  Prognosis remains unclear.
  • I get sick.  I recover fairly quickly.  I get sick.  I recover again.
  • I wear a pearl necklace.  Voluntarily.  In front of people.  Three different times.
  • I buy three suits.  Two are identical.  The third is identical to the first two, except it is grey instead of black.
  • My girlfriend (yep, my awesome DGF!) is awesome and supportive and rock-solid.  And a terrific cook.
  • In my current workplace, I am called "sir" twice when people just get a quick glimpse of me.  One of these people has known me for over a decade.  For reasons not entirely clear to me, I feel chagrined.
  • I spend one very long plane ride watching seven hours straight of Lifetime, wherein I am introduced to "Million Dollar Shoppers" (awful; I watched three episodes) and "Wife Swap" (omg). 
  • I order room service for the first time ever, and am instantly convinced that it's the world's greatest invention.  The same trip contains my second and third room service experiences.  Two of said room service experiences involve corned beef hash.
  • I attend my ex-husband's wedding.
  • I decide that the best possible way to prepare for an interview is to do an interpretive dance to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" without a shirt on.
  • I am deeply disappointed by a friend.
  • I am deeply touched by the thoughtfulness and compassion of two other friends.
  • I read several excellent books, my favorites among which are Ali Liebegott's The IHOP Papers, Robin Sloan's Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, and Haruki Murakami's Sputnik Sweetheart.  Admittedly, I also read the third book in the "Divergent" series, and all three Girl With the Dragon Tattoo books.  Don't judge.
  • A chimney sweep and I have a 20-minute phone conversation about sexual orientation. 

So that's me in a nutshell.  I have lots, lots, lots more to say.  I'm officially back, although "back" may mean a once-a-month posting.  I don't know yet.  But I do know that I missed you.  I probably won't be back to answering emails or Facebook posts for a while, but I'll try to be in touch whenever I can!  :)

Your turn!  What's new with you guys?


24 Comments

BW Sabbatical

6/19/2013

12 Comments

 
Dear BW readers,

I've decided to take a break from writing Butch Wonders.  I'm not sure how long--probably between six weeks and three months.  In part, I want time to think about how best to sustain BW in the long run, both financially and practically.  Additionally, I'm about to start a search for a new job, which will be time-consuming as well.  Rather than half-arsing anything, I'm going to step away from BW, then step back in when I'm ready.

BW readers are awesome.  I love you guys--corresponding with you, learning from you--everything.  You're a proud, gorgeous, eclectic bunch, and I'm sending you all virtual hugs and fist bumps.   I'll be back soon.

In the meantime, I'll occasionally post updates on the BW Facebook page or add things to the Butch Store, so be sure to join me there.  I'm looking forward to coming back already!

Much love,
BW


12 Comments

So Here's My Problem, Folks.

6/2/2013

23 Comments

 
As you may have noticed, my blogging has slowed considerably.  I want to blog more--daily, actually--and have been prevented from doing this because I have to work part-time jobs in addition to my main job to make ends meet.

A friend of mine advised, "Dude, make Butch Wonders your part-time job."  I said, "That'd be great, but how?"  She said, "You have 2000 readers a day!  If each of them gave five bucks, Butch Wonders could be your part-time job for a year."

She's right. 

Dear readers, would you be willing to give a couple bucks to have a BW post every weekday?  You could think of it as buying me coffee and a cookie to say, "Thanks for writing this blog, yo.  I like it."  That's right--excellent freakin' blog entries from yours truly.  On a regular basis!   What fun!  And I could throw some prizes into the mix, too.

Here are a couple of polls to help me figure out exactly what to do:
Thanks for filling these out! 

Thrilled to be figuring out a way to bring you the best in lesbian blogging,
BW
23 Comments

25 Tips for Aspiring Bloggers

4/23/2013

5 Comments

 
Occasionally I get email from other aspiring queer bloggers asking for advice, and I received another one recently, so I thought I'd share some general, hard-won blogging advice.  Take it all with a boulder of salt.

BW's Tips for Bloggers
  1. Assuming you want an audience, your blog should revolve around a theme, not just be a diary.  For a following, you  need an angle.  (Once you have a following, it's okay to deviate sometimes--regular readers are forgiving...  As, I hope, you all are right now...)
  2. Let your personality shine through.  Whether it's nerdy, quirky, punny, whatever--it's genuine you, and this is the fun of it.
  3. Keep a running list of possible topics.  Then on the weeks you're running dry, check the list and see what inspires you.
  4. You don't need to know anything about coding or building websites.  Personally I use Weebly, because I like their templates and options and easy-to-view stats.  But there's also WordPress and a bunch of others.
  5. Reach out to more experienced bloggers.  After you've got 10-12 good posts, ask if they'll put you on their blog rolls. 
  6. Don't feel obligated to post every day.  It's nice if you can, but you don't want the blog to feel like something you have to do.
  7. Give people an option to subscribe to your blog via email.
  8. Do it for love, not money.  I'm positive I've spent more on BW than I've earned.  Would I like to make a living writing BW?  You bet.  Am I willing to post ads all over my page and pimp products I don't care about?  No freakin' way.
  9. Have patience!  It can take a really long time for your audience to grow.
  10. Some people will hate you, disagree with you, and/or think you're stupid--and won't be afraid to say so.  Pay attention to thoughtful critiques; ignore the morons.
  11. Don't be defensive.  You will screw up.  When you do, admit it.
  12. You're going to offend some people, even if you try not to.  This is not a nice feeling, but it's a virtually inevitable one.
  13. Readers love pictures, especially if you take them yourself.
  14. Have fun!  Be silly, be weird, be random.  If you're laughing while you're writing, your readers will laugh while reading it. 
  15. Keep a separate email account for blog-related email.  This will keep your blog life from leaking into your work life, and vice versa.
  16. Think carefully about whether to be anonymous.  It's a hard choice.  I'm still closeted for professional reasons (and deeply ambivalent about it), but plan on coming out in the next couple years.  Once you're "out," you can't go un-ring the bell.  While being up-front about your real identity will increase your credibility (and get you a bigger following, I bet!), it may limit what you feel comfortable writing about. 
  17. Social media is your friend!  Lots of people have stumbled across BW randomly through Twitter and Facebook.
  18. Don't write about friends/family who read your blog, unless they've told you it's okay, or you specifically let them know ahead of time.  Some will get pissed off; it's hard to predict who.  Also: use pseudonyms.
  19. Interact with your readers!  Most of them will be awesome, and eventually you'll probably get more emails than you can handle, but if you see blogging more as a conversation than a mouthpiece, readers will be engaged (and they'll share smart, interesting ideas that will teach you cool things and inspire you to write more!).
  20. You're allowed to vary: sometimes you may be funny, sometimes reflective, sometimes informative.  Don't feel like you have to keep up some kind of consistent "persona."
  21. Don't get too obsessed with your numbers, and certainly don't write in response to them (e.g., "People like posts about fashion so I'd better write about nothing but fashion").
  22. Don't apologize if you go a while without blogging.  (Yeah, I broke my own rule recently.  Sue me.)  Just roll with it.
  23. Focus on creating good, interesting content.  Rachel Maddow said recently that there are too many great content-container creators and not enough great content creators.  Be one of the great ones, and strive to get better.  I'm talking about technical stuff (for grammar tips, there's no better source than Strunk and White) and non-technical stuff.  Think of the bloggers you admire most.  Why do you like their posts?  Strive to embody the qualities you admire.
  24. Good writing takes way more time than you think it will.
  25. Understand that you have something to say.  If you're thinking about blogging, it's because you want to tell something to the masses.  Don't second-guess yourself.  Everyone's an expert on his or her own corner of the world.  A blog is an awesome way to share your point of view!

I'm sure other bloggers feel differently about lots of this stuff, and I hope they'll weigh in with other thoughts they have.

What about you, dear readers?  What are your favorite qualities in a blog?

5 Comments
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