It's funny the rules you set for yourself. The rules that you stick to long after you believe the rationale behind them. Like deciding you haven't got the figure for horizontal stripes at the age of fourteen or so, and taking another fifteen years to relent on your poor striped-jumper-loving self. Or, in the present case, believing that every food blog post MUST contain a recipe. This was my rule. And I've come to a realisation that this is a really, really rubbish rule.
I know that it's probably a rule that many others follow, perhaps even without thinking about it. But I don't think it's a rule that suits me.
You see, I'm not one of those people who puts their own twist on everything they make. I follow recipes - I want to see what the author was aiming at before making any changes. And often the results are great, so why would I mess about with it? But as a blogger, what do you do then? You want to share the recipe, but you don't want to infringe the author's copyright. Writing the method in your own words is the legal way around it, I believe, but then aren't you misrepresenting the original recipe with a description that might well be less helpful? So you end up either adding a twist simply for the sake of being able to blog, or bastardising the method, or just not blogging the damn thing because the ethical concerns are just too bloody complicated. (I've done all three!)
Meanwhile, I have nowhere near enough culinary knowledge to churn out my own original recipes on a regular basis. I am in complete awe of bloggers who do it. I have the occasional good idea (hello mincemeat and apple Chelsea buns!) but nowhere near enough to keep a blog running. I'm OK with that - half the time I'm just cooking to have something nice for dinner. I just feel like a crap blogger.
So, I've had a hard time maintaining my blog for a while, and I think this may be why. A recent article in Fire & Knives about the proliferation of recipes (at the expense of good food writing) touched a bit of a nerve. And, in fact, the very existence of Fire & Knives, a massively entertaining quarterly of food writing, is a massive inspiration to the new direction I want to take my blog in.
At Food Blogger Connect about a million years ago Jeanne of Cook Sister said you have to decide if you're a writer who cooks or a cook who writes. It really resonated with me at the time, but I could never quite decide which I was. But I think I'm going to try to be a writer who cooks. Who writes about cooking and eating, but not necessarily recipes. But not necessarily no recipes either. Wish me luck!
I'm not sure whether I needed to share this - I could have just set off on my new path without a word. But I'm kind of interested in whether other bloggers have the same issues and worries. Do you? And if so, what do you do about them?
I've never felt a pressure to restrict myself to any one type of post, even though many blogging experts have insisted that sticking to one niche would increase my readership. So I post on restaurants, cookery books, classes, food festivals and recipes. And sometimes just random thoughts, like an ode to alphonso mangos... I want to do more of those...
ReplyDeleteDo what feels right and good to YOU, I say!
You're absolutely right, Kavey - and your blog is one of the ones that made me realise that you can write a great blog without filling it to the brim with recipes only. It's interesting you mention the expert advice - I wonder how much influence that has ... Anyway, looking forward to more odes to alphonso mangos!
DeleteThis post really resonates with me. I thought to be a good blogger you have to have your own niche- be it reviews, recipes, food news, foodies travel etc etc. But actually, as time goes on, I think I'd prefer just to write about all things food-related that capture my imagination and I enjoy! Thank you very much for reminding me with your brilliant post of that!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kate - I'm so glad you found it helpful! Maybe it's always a matter of time, of settling in a bit and following some rules, be they from 'experts' or self imposed, before you work out what you want to do. And what you don't want to do. It's just taking me quite a while!
DeleteI'm definitely a cook who writes. I certainly don't have the writing skills of people like Kavey or Celia at Fig Jam and Lime Cordial. I don't think it's necessary for a food blogger to stick to recipes, but you have to be a very good and confident writer to branch out into other areas - people need to be able to trust 'opinion pieces', and like your style, or they will stop reading.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right, Suelle. I think that's why I put this off for a while - it means I really have to work on my writing skills. I'm now off to check out Fig Jam and Lime Cordial ... All other recommendations for blogs that achieve this will be most welcome!
DeleteMy blog used to be about jewellery making but food slowly crept in and so now it is a food only blog. I don't know if people enjoyed it before as a dual purpose blog but I felt a bit of pressure to be a 'proper' food blogger - whatever that is!
ReplyDeleteI don't blog nearly as often as I'd like to but I am happy at the moment that it is a place for me to write about food, whether that is recipes (mine or others) or restaurants.
am quite in awe of those who can write 4 or 5 posts a week which are recipes and be original.
I know, Deepa - how do they do it?? And I know just what you mean about being a 'proper' food blogger - it's a funny idea, but I think lots of us have it. But then I've never seen a food blog that I thought wasn't proper!
DeleteI think the whole point of blogging is to write about whatever the hell you want! I read blogs because they are interesting, provide a different perspective on something, highlight something I wasn't aware of previously, or make me laugh- I guess that applies to blogs across the board. I definitely don't look at food blogs *just* for recipes, its the writing that keeps me coming back, so am looking forward to reading more from you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ireena - what a great list of things for me to aim for! I think the thing is that I DID used to just look for recipes, but I think I've changed what I look for in a blog - and now it's quite similar to your description. So I guess it makes sense that I change what my blog is about.
DeleteIs there anything more flattering than knowing that my words struck a chord with somebody?? :)) I think the point I was making is that if you love recipes but hate the writing part - stop forcing it and focus on recipes; and if you love the writing part but do not want to be constantly creating recipes, then make writing your focus. In other words, there is no "right" or "wrong" way to do a food blog, but for your own enjoyment it is important to decide what part of it exactly you like and are good at - more fun for you and more fun for your readers. And I think this is the conclusion you've reached :) All the best for the new direction!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Jeanne! It's funny that's it's taken me so long to understand what your words meant for me - and why they really stuck with me. But I think I've got there, though we shall see how the new direction goes! (Though of course there are always other new directions I can go off in!)
DeleteGood luck with your new direction Nora. I think that with most of us are food blogs have changed along the way and as you say what we want from other food blogs changes too. Although my blog is about chocolate, I started it very much with recipes in mind. As I've gone on that's morphed into anything to do with chocolate. I'd love to be a good writer, but I know I don't have that particular set of skills, so I'm a cook who writes, but writes more than just about recipes.
ReplyDeleteThank Choclette! But then we get into what is a good writer... I think your blog is entertaining, clearly written and interesting - so I don't think you're doing too badly!
DeleteI found this post so interesting Nora, this is something I've struggled with and I've certainly talked to other bloggers who have struggled to change how they approach their blogs. I considered closing my blog and starting another one so that I could feel more free to vary my content - the blog equivalent of starting a brand new notebook - but that didn't feel right so for now it's sporadic food posts interspersed with other bits and pieces. Anyway, I don't have any great insights to offer but I just wanted to say thank you for making me think about this today and good luck - I'm looking forward to seeing where this takes you.
ReplyDeleteFunny you should say that Gemma - I very nearly started a new blog. But then I thought that I was just continuing my story here, if that makes sense! I still might do it in the future, but I'm going to see where this one takes me first. And for the record, I think your blog really works - though it helps that you take such lovely pictures too. (I feel like I should stop gushing at the commenters, but I do mean it!)
DeleteNora, the blogs that I prefer are those with creative, witty and interesting writing. Because I have so many cook books, the recipes (for me anyway) take a bit of a back seat. But I guess everyone is different.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with the new direction.
Thanks Claire - good advice in a nutshell! Definitely something to aim for.
DeleteI think I'm a cook that writes because my obsession is with recipes (and not forgetting them). Good food writing is hugely entertaining to read, though. In the last couple of years I've read some terrible, pompous and elitist food writing in print and some original and very fine writing on blogs. So I'm looking forward to your new direction. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil. I will definitely try not to be pompous or elitist - though I think terrible is more likely...! But I'm really looking forward to the challenge of a change in direction.
DeleteHello! Just to let you know I have awarded you with a versatile blogger award and I have a link to your blog on my mine. But if you don't want to do it or accept that is absoloutly fine, but thought I would let you know!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more with this. I feel exactly the same about my own blog. I love food, and I love writing, and decided last year to start melting the two together. But like you, I'm no cook, and really prefer the anecdotal side of food (Fire and Knives is a perfect example). I too have the occasional inspired recipe, but again, I cook because I love it, but don't always feel it justifies uploading a recipe after every meal. Reading this post felt like looking in the mirror!
ReplyDeleteWell Nora, I'm so glad I found you! New to this game, I was beginning to lose a little of my initial 'umph - (feel free to add prefix of choice - 'gal'; 'har'; 'tri'...?); the world of the food blogger is not only well established but, when looking in from the outside, also a little worrying - it seems to have developed codes and rules that I had thought blogging would be unhindered by. Endless lists of dos and don'ts and courtesies and discourtesies and things that others like or really don't; so much for ploughing your own furrow - it suddenly seems a minefield of other people's hopes and expectations.
ReplyDeleteBut, lo and behold, here you are hitting upon the obvious; the Emperor can choose clothes or dress in uniform or dance around naked and it is not for anyone else to be impressed or otherwise or to point and snigger or cry 'foul' (unless, of course, the Emperor has stolen his dress from somebody else, in which case, fair enough).
How liberating! Never mind the horizontal stripes - I certainly never thought that dancing naked might suit me, but am feeling a little more confident about giving it a go.
Thanks for this post. I was trying to describe why I do what I do to someone the other day and finally, came out with: I love cooking but writing about it, that's the fun part. So I guess I am a writer who cooks. It's connecting the food to events in my life and memories I relish that makes it all worthwhile. That's not to say that I often make meals just for the sheer joy of creating and sharing them, and don't even write about it. : ) Anyway, thanks for the thoughtfulness of your post and good luck with the new direction. I look forward to whatever follows.
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