Done with the Silm notes. Or are we?

When I started on the Silm notations, I mentioned that I was following the schedule of the read-along happening on tumblr to help keep me on track. But, unlike the read-along’s exclusive focus on the main text, I had intended to go book cover to book cover, starting with the foreword and preface, and concluding with my own map of the story flow in the Silm. I expected to have a notation post, and at least one content discussion post every week of the read-along. And it seemed like I had all the time in the world to make the schedule, and keep to my plan. But if there’s one thing to learn from the book, it’s that things do not go according to plan, no matter one’s station. Universal entropy is the greatest existential equilizer.

With Friday’s post, the main text notations are completed, two months behind schedule, but at least they’re done.

 

GRATITUDE

Before diving into “What’s Next?”, I would like to say “thank you” to followers of the blog. I expected my blogging to be a monologue the world passes by for the most part, so it has been an amazing thing to have followers at all.

Interactions are certainly at a premium, but as a habitual lurker myself (yes, the irony), I understand and totally get it. And perhaps some followers even forgot why they had this blog on their follow list anyway, which is understandable too.

 

WHAT’S NEXT?

Now I find myself at a cross-road junction. There’s still plenty in the Silm to wonder and poke into, and definitely there are objectives I started with that’s yet to be completed, but perhaps it’s time to review the blog, and change things a bit.

As mentioned, I had intended for at least one analysis/discussion post accompany every weekly chapter notation. Clearly, it’s turned out to be a chronic deficiency.

To be honest, sweatingtomordor‘s the kind of blogging I wanna grow up to do.  I won’t have that depth of analysis and thought, but one can dream.

It’s been a real TREAT, an experience to read and follow (though I do think I should reset and make a proper go of it and start at the start with my start of the LotR re-read).

My notations were meant to serve as the re-education process before I start shooting my mouth off about my personal thoughts and ideas. In consideration of the world’s safety and my lack of depth, my ambitions shall stay small and manageable (hopefully), for now.

 

Post Frequency & Content

For a number of reasons, three posts a week is a bit much to manage going forward, at least for the next months. Not for the lack of content or ideas, but the lack of time to do the topic any rambly justice.

So the plan for now is to scale back, until things let up in Real Life and I can once again focus on my ME adventure.

Content-wise, things may get iffy for a while, but if the inconveniences of Real Life cooperate, the blog should settle into a two-post-a-week cadence, with

• Sundays for ambling rambling posts about Middle-earth
• Wednesdays for the once-a-week book notation posts of LotR, UT, and CoH. (Some, at least a part of it, may follow other read-along schedules of the aforementioned tumblr, just to keep me on the straight and narrow.)

Or maybe vice versa. What’s certain is posts in the next weeks will continue to be Silm-focused.

 

Sharing

Incidentally, I’ve been playing around with sharing content across platforms, not from delusions of grandeur (or at least that’s what I tell myself), but for the fun and experience. Besides, what use are tech toys if they’re not played with?

I’ve got posts from the blog automatically set up to be shared on tumblr for a while now. With this post, the blogging’s going twitter and google+ as well.

 

Looking Forward

Without the luxury of Galadriel’s Mirror, nor would access be particularly helpful given its track record, I have no idea what might become of this blog.

But come what may, I intend to continue on this path my admittedly hairless feet were set on. It may be slow, and it will certainly be long, but at least I will have fun and enjoy myself.

And for anyone still willing to come along and stay for the ride, I hope you will enjoy yourself too.

Thank you.