A fellow blogger recently asked (tongue-in-cheek) whether I have several "Santa's little helpers" writing this blog for me. So here are my answers ....
Do other people write this blog? No, I am the only person who writes this blog. I write every post, every caption, every headline, every Verse And Worse poem and every sub-title. I also take every photograph that appears on this blog.
Why do I regularly feature the work of other bloggers? Because I enjoy promoting the work of other bloggers. Also because I like to point others in the direction of posts I have enjoyed by other writers and photographers.
Where do I find the time to visit the 229 sites on my blogroll? I can't visit them every day, but I do keep in touch. If I spent two minutes on each of these 229 sites every day, it would take almost eight hours out of my day.
Why do I help other writers? Because I had no help and no one to advise me when I was a would-be novelist. Simple as that. Now that I am lucky enough to have had my first novel on the bestseller lists, I want to provide as much help to aspiring writers as possible. I wrote a 19-part series called Telling Write From Wrong that I hope will answer common questions and assuage some doubts.
Why did I stop the Weekend Wandering meme? Because I no longer had the time to visit those who took part. That's in spite of the fact that I approach each day as if it has 30 hours!
Do I maintain contact with other bloggers? Yes, I always answer queries and emails. No, I don't employ anyone to do this for me!
Are ABC Wednesday and Picture This also my blogs? No. Authorblog is my blog. ABC Wednesday is Mrs Nesbitt's original concept. On the other hand, Picture This is Dot's original concept. They administer their respective blogs.
What do I do with my time? I am a full-time journalist, a deeply committed husband, a hands-on father, a novelist and a photographer who has been fortunate enough to get invited to other parts of the world.
Do my professional qualifications give me credibility as a blogger? Bloggers don't need professional qualifications, but I am a former managing editor (production) of The Age newspaper; I briefly edited Melbourne Express, a newspaper published by Fairfax; and in my early twenties I was associate editor of a national magazine called Sportsworld. Twice in the past four years I was shortlisted for a national News Award and I am also a Walkley Award-nominated journalist - that would probably be the Australian equivalent of the Pulitzer.