It takes an especially talented writer, with a mix of wit, charm and just a dash of self-depreciation thrown in to make her easier to identify with, to keep thousands of strangers interested in her day-to-day life. Linda, the author of “Sundry Mourning”, “Purple is a Fruit” and “Sundry Buzz” does just that.
When did you start writing “Sundry Mourning”?
I started in January of 2002.
Why did you start your blog originally? Has your reason for keeping it up changed since you started it?
I had stumbled across Wendy McClure’s website, which was the first “online journal” I had ever read. I was immediately hooked by her fantastic writing style and the peek into her life. From there I started reading other journals, and became interested in keeping my own. At the time I was unemployed and felt pretty crappy about that, so I was looking for something to keep me busy and help me blow off steam.
My circumstances have greatly changed since then, but I keep it up because it’s something I love doing.
Think back to when you first started your blog. Who was your target audience? Has your target audience changed drastically since then?
Well, I didn’t have any audience to speak of. I had a couple of friends who had the link, that was all. I was mostly writing for myself, but when I go back and read those early entries my voice sounds strained, like I was on a stage without any idea of who might be listening, out in the dark.
These days I think the main difference in the content, and therefore the audience, is that I’m writing a lot about parenthood. My overall readership shifted a little once I was pregnant, more fellow mothers are reading now.
What does the title of your blog (“Sundry Mourning”) mean to you?
I chose the name on a whim, I liked how it sounded like “Sunday Morning” since I consider myself fairly easygoing, but also the words “sundry” and “mourning” together fit what I thought would be the theme of the journal: bitching about random things.
Now I think it sounds kind of silly. If Sundry Mourning were a person she’d wear black eyeliner and listen to Bauhaus and mopily declare that NO ONE UNDERSTANDS HER. It makes for a clunky URL, too. But it’s been the site name I’ve used for 4 years, it seems even sillier to change it.
How about the title of your ClubMom blog (“Purple is a Fruit”)?
There’s a Simpsons episode where Lisa asks Homer for a piece of fruit instead of a jelly donut. He looks at the donut and says, “This has purple in it. Purple is a fruit.”
That seemed to sum up both my general lack of parenting know-how and my love of The Simpsons in one ridiculous blog name.
How did you get involved with blogging at ClubMom?
I applied for the job. ClubMom had an open call for bloggers several months ago, which I read about on someone’s blog. I followed their submission guidelines and turned in writing samples and basically said, “I’m an idiot! People will love to hear about a parent who makes them look good!”.
Who did the page designs for your blogs?
Sundrymourning.com and Sundrybuzz.com (another site of mine focused mainly on product reviews) run on WordPress, using themes I customized. A talented designer named Ranie O’Dell created the header graphics for me. The Purple is a Fruit site was mainly designed by ClubMom.
What made you decide to move your blog from an online journaling site (Diaryland) to your own domain?
Diaryland was great, but I wanted the freedom of having my own site to tinker with as I wanted. I already had a family website, so I knew how to administer domains and upload pages and so on.
You’re married with a one-year old son and you work part time. How do you find the time to write regularly in not one, but three different blogs?
Sometimes I do feel a little overwhelmed by the amount of blog-writing I do, but it’s fundamentally something I really enjoy. I think it’s far easier to make time for stuff like that, as opposed to…oh, for instance, working out. Or cleaning the bathtub.
I do a lot of writing in the evenings, after Riley goes to sleep at 7:30. I sometimes spend my office lunchtime jotting down parts of entries, too.
Do you ever get uncomfortable with how much of your personal life is on the internet? How do you balance your need for privacy (for both you and your family) with your desire to blog?
That’s a good question; these are issues I’ve definitely gone over in my head more than once.
There is some intensely personal crap on my site. I have talked about a lot of stuff over the years, but it’s been so incredibly beneficial to do so it overshadows any negative consequences (so far, anyway). I feel that being honest about difficult subjects and working through them on my site has been an overwhelmingly positive experience.
I do try and keep some measure of balance in place on the privacy front. There have been times when I’ve misjudged, for sure, but I try to keep other people’s feelings in mind when I’m writing. I try not to post anything I would be ashamed of later.
I know this sounds dramatic, but has blogging changed your life in any way?
Absolutely. Aside from the fulfilling activity of writing itself, the response I’ve received from readers has been indescribable. I feel like I have hundreds of wonderful friends I have yet to meet. The fact that I have had the opportunity to create something that lets people identify with me or take value from what I say is truly awesome. I’m stupidly shy by nature and blogging helps me feel more a part of the world, rather than an awkward bystander no one notices or remembers.
Jeez, that sounded a little bit pitiful, didn’t it?
This is where you get to plug your favorite bloggers. Which blogs do you think everyone should read?
Honestly, I think it’s different strokes for different folks when it comes to blogs (well, and everything else, I suppose). Instead, I’ll just tell you which blogs I constantly check for updates: Kristin (http://www.tallnlucky.blogs.com/), Amy (http://www.amalah.com/), Julie (http://www.alittlepregnant.com/), and because I am a celebrity-news slimebag, Perez Hilton (http://www.perezhilton.com/).
Linda lives in Bellevue, WA with her husband JB, her son Riley, Cat, and Dog.
