Time to Revamp?

I’ve become increasingly aware of the fact that I’m not updating the CSNI blog anywhere near as often as I did this time last year. A number of factors contribute to this that range from family life to a greater focus on my own writing. Another difference is that this time last year I was still actively seeking out writers for interviews and the like. At this point, there aren’t many crime writers from the North or South of Ireland left to contact. However, after maintaining it for so long, I’d hate to see CSNI go by the wayside.

I’ve thought of a few solutions:

Expand beyond the crime fiction genre – Not a bad idea, as there are a number of science fiction, fantasy and literary writers from the North and beyond that I haven’t contacted. Also, I do read beyond the crime fiction genre, so it’d still be interesting to me. And there’s the strange fact that of the three novels I’ve sent to Allan Guthrie, my agent, none are straight crime fiction... I know! It came as a shock to me too. I’m not sure what I write. My whole belief system is at odds. I don’t think novels are literary; it’s more like... Wait, no. This is a topic for another self-indulgent post. No doubt I’ll write it some time in the near future.

But there’s something that niggles about that idea. The site is called Crime Scene NI, after all. It should really do what it says on the tin.

Expand beyond fiction – Yeah, why not comment on news items? There are enough of them, and in the post-Troubles climate, they’re certainly more varied. I could point out an article from the BBC NI website, on the days when I have nothing book-related to write about, and rattle out a paragraph or two surmising my personal thoughts.

But that seems a little ghoulish to me. Using real crime as filler. Plus there are enough websites out there that write about local news and the politics. Plus I don’t want to turn into an internet ranter. All self-righteous and shit. It’s not really me. And at the end of the day, people are perfectly capable of keeping up with the news on the BBC NI website without me pointing the way for them.

Expand beyond form – There are other forms out there, aren’t there? Big screen, little screen, stage play, radio play... I could get in touch with many a talented and worthy writer who works in either of these areas. And they’ll have interesting thoughts and insights of their own. What’s the problem with that, eh?

Well, I don’t get to go to the theatre or cinema as often as I used to, so I wouldn’t exactly be cutting edge. And I sacrifice a lot of TV time in order to get a few words down on the screen. The programmes I do take the time to follow, such as The Sopranos or The Wire, don’t really need the help of some little guy from Northern Ireland in order to reach a slightly larger audience. So why devote the time?

So, I’m wondering... how can I shake things up a bit and breathe some new life into the aul blog?

Suggestions welcome, folks.