I have been working on a diary on Russian Novels. But I haven't finished it yet.
This writing, this weekly series, is essential to me. I make it too important, too precious, too hard. I don't want to go further than that, because that drama is precisely what doesn't matter here. All that matters, here and now, is the next step in my development: to publish Books Go Boom! at 6PM EST every Friday, and to get ahead on my writing schedule, so that the publishing gets smoother, and the whole project gets clearer and easier.
I think in May my diaries will appear on time, and they will be better edited and crafted, and I will be happier. And then more of you will come and read them, and it will be a virtuous cycle, a healthy progress.
Next week, ArkDem14 will be diarying in this slot. Indeed, he'll be here, on the first Friday of the month, for the next few months.
If you follow that link through his name, you'll see that he's written on many subjects, including various literary ventures. His last three book diaries were on Gore Vidal, the Swedish book Let the Right One In, and the great Japanese Novelist Natsume Soseki.
I'm not sure what he'll write on next, but I know it will be interesting. We're glad he'll be sharing more of his knowledge and writing skills with Readers & Book Lovers. For me personally, it'll give me a chance to get a week ahead on my own writing schedule, which is what I need most right now. I'll be back on May 10th, with my Russian Novel diary. I will publish it at 6PM EST on May 10th.
I have several other diaries I'm considering. I think I should go work on them, before making any more specific promises.
I'd like to give a shout-out, and a plug, to three different R&BLers series. First, Contemporary Fiction Views, at 10PM EST on Tuesdays. I love this series, because bookgirl keeps showing me more contemporary writers I don't know, and she does a fine job of distilling their work, so that each diary really gives you a taste of what they do.
She did say, ten days ago, "If you are ever interested in publishing a diary in this series, please let me know!" So, please go read her diary every week. And, if you've read a recent book that stirred your imagination, and you'd like to write a diary on it, send bookgirl a kosmail.
Another great series, which is always looking for submissions, is Books That Changed My Life. Every Reader & Book Lover should write for this series: Not only have we all read books that changed our lives, they're the very books that we have the most to tell about. If you're an R&BLer, but haven't written a book diary in months, then it's a good time for you to write about another Book That Changed Your Life. So send Diana in NoVa a kosmail.
Finally, I am rather in awe of Susan from 29. If you look at the schedule below - which she created - you'll see that she's now helming three different weekly series. She's always looking for contributors to write for the Political Book Club, at 11:30AM on Monday mornings. We're Kossacks who love books, so there must be a political book that really made you think, or that you've been meaning to read, or reread. So do that, and drop Susan a kosmail about writing a diary on it.
I hope you'll write a diary for one of these fine ladies. I always enjoy it, when I've seen someone comment in various R&BLer diaries, and then I find one day that I get to read a whole diary by the same hand. And if you're too busy to write a diary now, then thanks for joining in the community by reading and commenting.