The American Writer Top Ten
I'm not a statistic guy. But I thought it would be interesting to see what has happened since I began The American Writer on December 24, 2009. In some ways I'm surprised. There have been 112 posts; 104 by me and 8 by The American Writer contributors. Okay, okay, I know. You're thinking, "Who cares?" Well, I don't care either. But I did have an interest in figuring out what the readers of The American Writer were most interested in. What I found out surprised me. I looked at the statistical information for all the posts' entry views. Here are the Top Ten:
10. Time to Write - 46 entry views - December 31, 2009
9. The Ten Commandments: Comma or Coma? (Part Three) - 49 entry views - February 11
8. Creating Suspense, Tension and Surprise in Your Stories (Re-Published) - 51 entry views - February 24
7. (Tie) - October by Lisa Snider (March 10)
Let's Talk: Writing Believable Dialogue (March 30)
63 entry views each
6. Choice Words: Avoiding Awkward, Vague and Unclear Writing - 86 entry views - March 3
5. To Blog or Not to Blog: That is the Question - 90 entry views - February 23
4. Writing with Laryngitis: Finding Your Voice - 107 entry views - February 3
3. The Ten Commandments: Comma or Coma? (Part One) - 139 entry views - February 9
2. Compound Adjectives: The Cute-as-a-Bug's Ear Hyphen - 141 entry views - January 19
1. Harlan Ellison is an Asshole - 664 entry views - January 6
Okay. What surprised me is that I'm a mathematical numbskull. I admit it. When I began this little project, it didn't dawn on me that, generally speaking, the older the entry, the more entry views there would be. Duh. And more duh.
But when I began looking at the other 102 entries, many of which are later, and calculated the percentages (which was done for me by my blog service), it's apparent to me that what writers are seeking are essays ON WRITING. Not fiction. The short shorts, short fiction, my play, American Right, and my novel, The Plunge, did okay, but not like the pieces that help writers write.
One thing that baffled me, though: the six-part The Ten Commandments: Comma or Coma? had the most views on Part One, then on Part Three? So did people just decide they'd look at odd parts or what? It made no sense. Same goes for my novel and play. Some parts of my play in the middle were read more than the beginning. Did folks decide, "Hey, it's a mystery, so I'll just skip the beginning and stay puzzled the whole time"? There were only two--count them!--two entry views to Chapter Two of my novel, but 17 entry views to Chapter Six. Did those other fifteen readers not care to read Chapter Two? I don't get it.
Finally, it's very telling when I see that the only controversial piece I wrote (Harlan Ellison is an Asshole) has received a hugely lopsided percentage of entry views. I believe this is because folks are Googling his name and getting my piece. Hm. Maybe I should have a famous name in all my titles. Yeah.
What about Barack Obama Can't Write in Swahili and Rush Limbaugh Won't Hear of It until Glenn Beck Sees the Evidence? That ought to get a whole bunch of folks coming to read The American Writer.
10. Time to Write - 46 entry views - December 31, 2009
9. The Ten Commandments: Comma or Coma? (Part Three) - 49 entry views - February 11
8. Creating Suspense, Tension and Surprise in Your Stories (Re-Published) - 51 entry views - February 24
7. (Tie) - October by Lisa Snider (March 10)
Let's Talk: Writing Believable Dialogue (March 30)
63 entry views each
6. Choice Words: Avoiding Awkward, Vague and Unclear Writing - 86 entry views - March 3
5. To Blog or Not to Blog: That is the Question - 90 entry views - February 23
4. Writing with Laryngitis: Finding Your Voice - 107 entry views - February 3
3. The Ten Commandments: Comma or Coma? (Part One) - 139 entry views - February 9
2. Compound Adjectives: The Cute-as-a-Bug's Ear Hyphen - 141 entry views - January 19
1. Harlan Ellison is an Asshole - 664 entry views - January 6
Okay. What surprised me is that I'm a mathematical numbskull. I admit it. When I began this little project, it didn't dawn on me that, generally speaking, the older the entry, the more entry views there would be. Duh. And more duh.
But when I began looking at the other 102 entries, many of which are later, and calculated the percentages (which was done for me by my blog service), it's apparent to me that what writers are seeking are essays ON WRITING. Not fiction. The short shorts, short fiction, my play, American Right, and my novel, The Plunge, did okay, but not like the pieces that help writers write.
One thing that baffled me, though: the six-part The Ten Commandments: Comma or Coma? had the most views on Part One, then on Part Three? So did people just decide they'd look at odd parts or what? It made no sense. Same goes for my novel and play. Some parts of my play in the middle were read more than the beginning. Did folks decide, "Hey, it's a mystery, so I'll just skip the beginning and stay puzzled the whole time"? There were only two--count them!--two entry views to Chapter Two of my novel, but 17 entry views to Chapter Six. Did those other fifteen readers not care to read Chapter Two? I don't get it.
Finally, it's very telling when I see that the only controversial piece I wrote (Harlan Ellison is an Asshole) has received a hugely lopsided percentage of entry views. I believe this is because folks are Googling his name and getting my piece. Hm. Maybe I should have a famous name in all my titles. Yeah.
What about Barack Obama Can't Write in Swahili and Rush Limbaugh Won't Hear of It until Glenn Beck Sees the Evidence? That ought to get a whole bunch of folks coming to read The American Writer.
The last line is perfect! Genius! Funny and might actually work.
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It does make me wonder. Because when I Google someone's name and I get a whole bunch of stuff, it's usually because they are famous. What better way to get people to a Web site or blog than to use famous names or other popular words and phrases.
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