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Tuesday 7 June 2011

It's Me Against the Odds, Baby


(All Hail the Mighty Goat, Capricorn. ;)


Notice anything different at all?

Yes, I did. Now, I promise this will be the last surprise I spring on you guys but it had to be done. Why did I change the title? Because I wanted a more personalized name and URL, and also because Kristen Lamb was right when she advised that every author should put their name in the title of their blog. Yes I know that Lyn Midnight is not my name but it’s the alias I go by when I write.

If you have read The Dark Half by Stephen King, you’d know how the author’s alias (Stark) came to life and tried to overpower the MC. While Lyn is not going anywhere near my power source, she is also not going anywhere, period. I can never leave her behind  because of our history together.

It’s she who started to write, not me. 


Leaving her now would be like leaving my muse behind and erasing all those memories. The name is a part of the whole writing package and it’s too late to change that. However, making a semi-calculated risk, I decided that I could afford a change of my blog title. As we speak I am struggling with conversing the old links to new ones, and for a while people might come up with the dreaded ‘This blog has been removed’ message, for which I sincerely apologize.

But I am really happy with the new name and the way this blog makes me feel now – at home. It has my name up there, together with my not-so-subtle message, so what more can a girl want? Speaking of which, I have to give a major shoutout to my fellow blogger, tweep, writer, and friend: Avalon Jaedra. When I decided to do this last night, she was really supportive and put up with the peak of my madness in the wee hours of the night, helping me go through countless of ridiculous blog titles. She had hilarious ideas but in the end I needed something more … me. And that’s what the new title is all about.

Lyn Midnight Against the Odds. LMAO for short.

What made me change it? Yesterday there was a heated debate over Roni Loren’s blog about whether writers should blog about writing. I won’t go into that here but you can see what Kristen Lamb and others said by clicking on this link.

So when I started to comment back on Roni’s blog, I realized that even though my name was not in my own blog’s title and it didn’t really have to be, I wanted it there. This is not about what other writers or the social media advise, or anything like that. It’s about what I had to say on the topic, which was that as long as the writer blogs in their own unique voice and does not repeat other writers’ words, then it’s all right to blog about writing. Although I am no expert, I reckon it is perfectly acceptable to blog about whatever fancies you (which is mostly writing). It’s your blog!

So this made me question why I started blogging in the first place. I just wanted to have a place just for me, filled with my own passions, my own words, and my own interpretations. Like I said in a previous post, ‘My brand is me’. I am not some kind of advertising machine or published author who’s looking for numbers here, nor am I pointing fingers. I’m just an aspiring writer looking for her place in this world, and I think a large part of that reflects in my blog as well.

So in order to stay true to this goal to be myself and nothing but, I’ve just decided that the new title ROCKS. But what does it mean exactly? For one thing, the short version – LMAO – fits this blog (and me) perfectly. And second, ‘Against the Odds’ will represent my struggle in the Publishing world from now on out. I am not saying that I will be querying next week or even next month, but I’ll get there eventually, and I’ll be glad to have this little cosy space to remind me of where I started.

Everybody says how hard it is to become published and make the sales and stay on top and pay the bills, etc. etc. I agree completely. But I will beat the odds, dammit! I will be published. I will keep writing and growing and learning, because that is my purpose, and that’s what I -and this blog- are all about. So there, I won’t be changing the title at all from now on, thank you very much. I’m staying for the long run. And I’m guessing it will be very long indeed.

Also, I’ll be posting a tiny #lmao next to every one of my blog-related tweets so I can keep track of them. You can use the tag or not, whatever you decide, it’s just for my convenience. Thank you for sticking around and reading this. Here’s to seeing you all on the other side where the odds are nothing but measly numbers and we are the giants.


Bring on the inspiration!

12 comments:

Dustin Ashe said...

Fantastic! I echo many of your sentiments and love the new title and attitude. But don't forget to look to your side and see that you're not alone out here. I'm in the trenches right along with you, and so are a ton of others, called to this moment, this time, and we wouldn't be able to stop if we wanted to. Raise the flag! Lets do it! :)

See you on the other side! :)

-d.

Stacy said...

Love this! I didn't see the discussion on Roni's blog, but I did comment on Kristen's. I'm still unsure if blogging about other things will get more response, but then again, those other things are ME.

Good for you on the new attitude!

Jennifer Shirk said...

I didn't see the discussion either, but will have to check it out.
LMAO--is so cute! Love it.

Unknown said...

@Dustin: Totally. Who's ever alone with Twitter? Not me? Especially not with lovely homes such as #myWANA and #pubwrite around. :) *looks around and smiles*

@Stacy & @Jennifer: Haha, glad to bring attention to the discussion. It was very helpful. And very controversial. ;) Thank you both!

Yay, thanks, guys! I am so happy you like the title AND attitude. *feels loved*

Anonymous said...

I think you did a good thing. I was lucky. I didn't have a blog, so, when Kristen said it needed to be under my name, it was pretty easy. Had I already had a blog set up, it would have been hard to make the change. I think you're great for having the courage to do so.

Unknown said...

Aww thanks for saying that! I'm actually quite lucky I've only rediscovered blogging recently, so the change isn't really 'fatal'. Plus I read some tips online about how to redirect from old url to new and stuff but it was too complicated, so thought: the hell with it. :)

Hektor Karl said...

Love the LMAO.

And good luck against the odds. Everything interesting has long odds.

Unknown said...

Couldn't say it better myself. :)

Thanks, Hektor!

Roni Loren said...

The people who make it are the ones who don't let the odds daunt them, so go you! :)

And thanks for the linkage. Obviously, I was in the same boat and decided to add my name to my blog as well. Like you--my brand is me so I guess it was time I put my name up there, lol.

Unknown said...

Aww, thanks for stopping by, Roni! You and your wonderful post triggered the chain of events to lead me to this post, so thanks. ;) Yeap, that's why they say 'create a name for yourself', in this case literally.

Daniel Mihai Popescu said...

No wonder why you haven't filled your blog link in the requested forms, :). Anyway, I figured it out on my own, and modified the previous as well, being sure this will be the last choice. You're taking it on different plans on the same time, I see. Tough! I tried a little what you're doing as well and I felt frustrated, :) I wish you good luck, hoping you're going to visit often, as you're doing now, :) The post with Wordle kept opening in my browser (I haven't closed the laptop since), and I was wondering if you're going to publish something new... And, after that I've noticed the title, the blog title was familiar but different, :) I've clicked on home and my concerns were vanished! LMAO is actually vulgar even with no expression user reading your blog, they look after different things on the net. Lyn Midnight Against the Odds can be expressed differently, I'm sure, :)
Maybe the cuteness and funniness of the expression is lost on me at this hour, I don't know... Now I've noticed I'm discordant in not joining the chorus of LMAO lovers, but this won't be in impediment, would it, now?
You see, Rodolfo Grimaldi looks like a literary alias, but it's a character who lived actually like that for a few good years. I haven't brought him out entirely yet, but I'll do this too. It'll pop up somehow, obscuring the "opinionated blogger" two cents per dozen I seem to be right now, :)

Unknown said...

Hi Rodolfo (or should I call you Daniel ;) Thanks for taking the time to edit those. As far as I'm concerned, no more changes.

Haha, I know I know. I feel frustrated at times too, but in the end it's worth it, besides I have too much energy and free time to squander it. Mhm, I like everything so I want to blog about everything. Time-consuming and crazy mad yes, but fun!

No worries. ;) In fact, I'm glad you're honest and I always like to hear different opinions. In fact, I'm a sucker for all kinds of opinions. I was this close to naming the blog: Lyn Midnight's Abuse of Opinion, lol.

Interesting. I'd like to see more of Rodolfo. And I definitely value your input. Really. :) Thanks!