To Our Readers

From the Editors:

Scott Biddulph/Editor-n-Chief

I want to take a moment and thank all our loyal fans, followers, readers, contributors, and of course, our wonderful team of staff writers and monthly contributors. Two Drop of Ink is an anomaly – a nuance in the blogosphere that is quite unique because we are a different kind of literary blog. Yes, we write about writing and reading, we cover several different genres, we talk about grammar and syntax, and we take submissions; however, we also work hard to break new writers (brand new writers and seasoned writers), and to share all that we accomplish with our collaborating writers, bloggers, and authors.

Was this an act of genius? By no means. It happened quite by accident. We fell into it by realizing that a “team” effort between our blog and others could create a larger audience and more opportunity towards exposure for all –this is the win-win. It is the great benefit of collaboration between all of us here at Two Drops of Ink and you, the writers who contribute.

We recently published a post from Inkitt.com. When I received the pitch from their editor, I quickly realized that he had seen and experienced the same things that I had as a budding writer/editor—most editors are extremely subjective, all the while claiming to be objective. I don’t mean this in a demeaning or offensive way, it’s simply the truth. In some cases, it’s because editors are so busy that they cannot help it; however, in many cases, they read a sentence or two and toss the submissions. This is true in magazines, blogs, newspapers, and in the publishing of books. It’s just a fact of our trade. This fact led me to the open mindedness we give to writers as we read each submission with care.

I have several publications under my belt; however, I have many more rejections than I care to count. As I’ve become more of an editor than a writer (which editing is really my first love), I’ve done less writing myself. But, I see myself as a sower of seeds, and I enjoy watching the crop as it grows.

Blogging is a lot of work, and it takes effort to stay on the cutting edge of the trade. This leads to our main point: Are we doing the best we can do? Are we keeping things fresh, new, and exciting? Only you, our readers, can answer this question. That said, we’re putting up this poll asking for your opinions about this question. Give us your feedback. After all, this is “our” blog – meaning yours and ours (the team).

I ask you to take a moment and give us your feedback about what you’d like to see more of, what we may need to add, or what you feel would make Two Drops of Ink a much better place to collaborate. Next, I’d like to add some thoughts from our assistant editor, Marilyn Davis.

From Marilyn L. Davis/Assistant Editor:

To Our Readers: Give us your thoughts

“The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours.” ― Alan Bennett, The History Boys

I like how Alan Bennett frames the concept of reaching out to a reader, and I suppose that’s a fine way to look at the exchange of ideas between writer and reader, but we’re wondering if what we’re writing is reaching you in the best possile way.

About the only way we know to answer that question is not to ponder it, but to ask you, the reader, what do you want us to write about that will connect us, entertain, and educate you?

We know that collaborative writing guarantees more posts and an opportunity to reach a wider audience. Since our list of contributing writers grows weekly, there are multiple perspectives, styles, and voices to read.

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“We believe in the power of collaboration. We look forward to publishing works from aspiring writers who are looking for exposure, and seasoned writers and authors looking to expand their audience. We know that those writers who submit their works for publication to our site, and make the cut, will enter into a win-win relationship with Two Drops of Ink. Those authors will receive the benefit of great exposure from a credible site, and we will enjoy the benefit of sharing their audience as well (Win-win)” – From our “About” page.

Delivering on posts isn’t the issue; it’s what kinds of post do you, as a reader, want to see?

Probably the easiest way to answer the question is to take a poll, so we’d like you to give us your favorite types of posts in our poll.

Our normal posts:

Poetry Break and Wall of Poets

Saturday Book Shelf Shout Out

Short Stories – Fiction/Nonfiction

Sunday Spotlight

The Book Shelf

Book Reviews

The Poll

More on Grammar More posts about Writing Advice Our site is accepting submissions. Read our submission guidelines and climb aboard the Two Drops of Ink literary train – it’s on the move! Looking for a summer read? Check out The Book Shelf Poetry has found a new surge of interest. Read some great poetry on our site: The Wall of Poets Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook