E-whelm

 

 

 

Posted by Kathy Waller


I've come down with a serious case of Blogwhelm.


The term Blogwhelm was coined several years ago by my writer/songwriter/all-around artist friend Nita Lou Bryant. It describes the brain fog that develops when one realizes there are so many blogs on his favorites list that he can’t possibly read them all, and that there are more blogs out there just waiting to be discovered. It’s one of the best words I’ve come across in years. I’m waiting for it to go viral, after which it can take its rightful place in the OED.

When Blogwhelm hits me, I become paralyzed. I stare at the emails in my inbox announcing new posts. My index finger loses power. It doesn’t possess the strength to click. If I manage to access a post, perfectionism descends. I begin writing a comment but cannot find the right words and end up deleting.


Blogs are just a fraction of the problem. Email also plays a role. In fact, I also suffer from just plain E-whelm. That’s what happens when one’s inbox is so full he loses the ability to read anything at all. Mail from discussion groups wanting ideas, politicians wanting money, petitioners wanting signatures, folks from faraway countries wanting my credit card numbers, plus notifications from blogs I follow, and mail from the three people I actually know sap my energy.

I intend to read them all, but not now, so I leave them unopened in the inbox for later. I put a star by some of them to show they’re important. The next day, I do the same thing all over again. Then, when I glance at the left sidebar and see that I have 76,502 unread messages, I start mass deletion interrupted sporadically by mass saving in folders, to be read later. Someday.


E-whelm. The only solution I’ve found–and it isn’t really a solution–is to start a new email account. I did that just a couple of days ago, created an account to use for my writing business only. At present, I’m caught up with filing and deleting. In place of email, there’s a note from the host: Wow! You’ve got a very clean inbox.

Anyway, that’s my sad story. Because I prefer to end on a lighter note, and because I like to share good things, I’m going to list some of my favorite blogs, the ones I make sure to read whenever E-whelm subsides and my index finger regains functionality.

 

Kate Shrewsday

“The world is jam-packed full of Stuff: good stuff, bad stuff, exciting stuff and enlightening stuff,” says Kate. “And every bit of stuff is linked to other stuff with invisible bonds we cannot see.” Kate finds the links and brings them to light in stories whose topics range from the Rosetta Stone to Edgar Allan Poe to Henry VIII to gargoyles to John Wesley. My favorite stories focus on Macaulay the Dog, “the friendliest biohazard in Britain.” Kate is now available for audiobook narration. I’d love to have her record some of my stories, but I fear her lovely British accent would make my Texas-twang narratives sound entirely too high-class.

Doodlemum: a day in the life of my sketchbook

Doodlemum is what it says it is. Sketches of children, chickens, a dog, a cat, little glimpses of family life, and utterly delightful. A few seconds with Doodlemum, and the world looks brighter.

O Totsy!

Totsy describes herself as, “Humanist, artist, writer, graphic designer, mother, daughter, sister, observer, quiet, reclusive, caring, playful, hopeful, thoughtful, patient, cynical, judgmental, reflective, sensitive, curious, nonchalant, witty, fair, gossiper, trying…” To that I add hilariously funny. Totsy has recently launched this ezine, but I’ve read her work for several years at All Things Totsy and Beatrice. I hope Beatrice makes it into O Totsy! She’s too good to leave behind.

Ramona DeFelice Long: Author and Independent Editor

Ramona says, “I maintain a blog about writing and the writing life and how it pertains to art and creation. I post new information for writers and readers on Tuesdays. I’ve tabbed a compilation of these posts, plus other useful information under the tab For Writers.” I know from personal experience that Ramona is an excellent editor as well as a graceful writer, and the posts under the For Writers tab contain valuable information for anyone interested in writing. Ramona also teaches classes. My dream is to have her teach an online class for my Sisters in Crime chapter.

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Kathy Waller posts at kathywaller1.com and at austinmysterywriters.com.

Find her on Twitter @KathyWaller1.