All writers have pet peeves.  We generally try not to talk about it because then no one will write us love letters or send us emails.  Some of us cringe at the sight of dangling modifiers or the word “your” where “you’re” should be. 

Here are two of mine:  1) Blog Posts that begin with “I’m sorry it’s been so long.” I always think of a fourteen year old writing “Dear Diary, I am so so so sorry I haven’t written since….I’ve been so so busy what with cheerleading and all and  I didn’t tell you–again, so sorry–but John Boy and I split up.”

But, then again, blogging is a bit of conditioned response in action.  Ideally, bloggers should post at a certain rate and readers come to count on that. And, if suddenly there are no posts for a while, it’s weird and akin to abandonment, which brings me to my next pet peeve demonstrated with the title “Blog, Interrupted.”

2) Titles That Are Rip-Offs of Other Titles (and yes, I’ve done this).  I can only think when Susanna Kaysen thought of the title Girl, Interrupted she ran around her office doing a little Rock the Casbah dance (that’s actually my victory song, only sung in moments of extreme triumph). It’s a freaking fantastic title. Other rocking titles include: A Streetcar Named Desire, Of Mice and Men, Fear of Flying and The Sound and The Fury.  Of course, we want to steal them, and if it’s something inconsequential like a blog title, ok.(I admit my This Milltown Called Denial is a bit derivative, and last week I came this close to naming a post “Of Mice and Milltowns.”)  But the other day I saw a book that was titled Faith, Interrupted, and I’m thinking, you wrote a whole book about something as serious and searching as a loss of faith and you can’t think of your own title? Whatsa matter with you?

Which brings me to “Blog, Interrupted” (again):  I’m having a blast writing this blog (a little too much fun as thoughts of mill town have been competing with thoughts of the book I’m working on), and I’m taking a break for about ten days.  Next post will be approx. October 4th, which sounds further off than it is.  

Until then!
Theo