A Talk with Maud Newton

Excellent points in an interview at Yahoo:

What type of content or features do you consciously avoid?

Anything that doesn't interest me. The endless debates about the unprofessionalism/ superficialitity/decivilizing nature of blogs, for instance. The fact that I have maintained one for more than five years speaks for itself, I think; readers are free to criticize or enjoy or deplore what they find there. The grading of local book reviews was another trend I was happy to skip. I work an unrelated day job and am trying to finish a book. I'm not going to spend what little free time I have on debates and publications that don't get me fired up....

What advice do you have for the budding writer-slash-lit-blogger?

Follow your passions. Writing about things to curry favor or get attention ultimately is a zero-sum game.

Here's the whole thing. (My appreciation for the vote of confidence.)