Spent the better part of the week researching and editing a new Home Cookin’ profile I’m doing in order to finish the first draft. Hacen is the first subject in years that’s compelled me to write a new profile (with 20 others in the can). As a result I’ve been doing a deep dive into the Northwest Saharan African country of Mauritania where my subject escaped because hereditary racial slavery is still current events there as opposed to mainly legacy as it is here.
Then there’s the police hit squads…
One interesting factoid I came across was here in the U.S. the zip code believed to have the most slavery victims is 90210. Somehow it escaped the storylines of that innocuous teen drama.
Some of the interview recordings are garbled or hard to understand the context of so we’ve been going back and forth to make the needed corrections. The gravitas of this story demands to be hyper fact checked. We do not want anything published to be wrong.
Besides that, I’ve got nothing and again question the value of writing this weekly diary of sorts, which seems to me to be more vain than helpful. Few comments with little impact have come from the blogs, now numbering 24. On LinkedIn where I post them each week in the 8 groups that I belong to that it has relevance in (food writers, memoirists, etc) its garnered zero responses. Membership in the groups vary from 2,000 – 100,000 and not a peep.
That’s a lot of people ignoring them.
On another food chat site I’ve been involved in for years, while garnering some views, again, not a single comment which is disheartening to say the least. Figured among friends there’d be something besides silence.
Knowing it’s not transactional and near impossible to point to any single event and say “that helped” doesn’t make it easier to continue. So I write for no one as it appears no one is my current audience- but it seems an exercise in futility. I know all about consistency being key and showing up ready, but how long should you continue falling on deaf ears? Creating content for no audience isn’t my goal.
One thing about creating is sharing your creation.
Monetary compensation is one part but engaging an audience is a huge reason as well. I can’t tell you how many conversations have sprouted from my music or food, which in turn I’ve viewed in the very least as acknowledgement or justification for my efforts. But here amongst my weekly blogs about a manuscript seeking to be published, the silence is deafening. How does one break through amongst all the noise?
As important and timely as I feel the profiles are, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe they’re written poorly or just are not of interest to others. To continue I need to keep selling it to myself but I’m not buying it at the moment. Or maybe I just haven’t found the “others” to put it in front of- which with my limited marketing abilities is quite possible so am working diligently on improving.
In the meantime, keep on keeping on is my thought for the week.
Alan Lake
Chef/percussionist/writer/
I think people are reading but not commenting always. I enjoy your blogs but don’t always comment. I say keep on keeping in💜
a friend just suggested that if they’re not happening i look inward not externally
Hacen’s life story sounds powerful and I look forward to reading it in the future.
got me out of retirement
Alan, I love the “keep on keeping on” path. I love having the group you are part of where you are always supported. And I love Lynn’s statement that as a top promoter, she will spread your words. I’m a promoter, too, and I run our writers’ support group. We will be there for you, Alan!
Content I have. Promotion I need. Your guidance and support have meant the world to me.
I believe people are fatigued with the multiplicity of life threatening situations and our awareness of same around the globe, it wears ya down. As you know our personal response in 2016 was RCC which I am peripherally very proud of. These stories are important and stir our humanity, we need that. Especially these days for Americans, as we feel the threat of fascism in our living rooms. In that desperate fear its hard to look outside ourselves, but even more crucial to who we see ourselves as that we continue to do so.
Couldn’t agree more about being worn down. That’s the intent. Barrage you w/bullshit until you turn away.
I was unaware that you were blogging until you linked on FB and the algorithm actually allowed me to see it. Now added to my Feedly.
melissa suggested it to me so i took her advice. told me bots like 500 words and consistency. https://alanlake.com/500-words-a-home-cookin-publishing-quest/
Happy to have this in my feed. I hope you keep writing.
Hi Alan- I too often read your posts and enjoy them! Maybe asking a question to your readers about what your write will inspire more people to comment! Happy to support you any way I can!