The solitariness of the writing process is an old, romantic clich� -- and a largely true one. The image of a writer cooping himself up in a little room for weeks on end, restricting himself to the company of his Muse, is almost as old as literature itself.

But while this old story hasn't changed in its essence, the Internet has given it a piquant twist: today, reticent writers have the option of cutting themselves off from the physical world, even as they reach out to their fans online.

• Blog to the world

A large number of published authors have their own Web sites, online journals or blogs, through which they can make themselves more accessible while guarding their cherished privacy. One of the most popular among these is fantasy writer Neil Gaiman's personal homepage that he started as far back as in 2001.

A professional writer for more than 20 years, Gaiman has been at the forefront of the revolution that has seen comics and graphic novels gain a measure of literary respectability; his Sandman series is one of the most highly regarded works in the genre. Now, his official Web site has a cult following that rivals his published work -- with 400,000 unique visitors per month in 2004, and close to 600,000 per month expected in 2005.

Gaiman's online journal (which forms a section of the Web site) is syndicated to thousands of blog readers every day, and provides treasured insights into the writer's inspiration, style, and working method.

• The art of citizen journalism

"As a diehard Gaiman fan I like seeing what he is up to, even if I have to wait a long time before getting my hands on his latest releases," says Samit Basu, author of the science-fiction/fantasy (SFF) novel The Simoqin Prophecies and one of an ever-burgeoning group of Sandman addicts in India, where the comics are finally becoming widely available.

So what form does a blog run by a popular author like Gaiman take? For starters, he doesn't have 'Comments' enabled on his site -- which is understandable, given the size of his web traffic. But he does showcase reader e-mails that he finds interesting and responds to them in the form of posts on the blog.

• Why I like to blog

He talks about fellow artists and writers in his field, directs his readers to articles of interest and engages in online discussions on new literary trends -- like the eBay auctions where people can bid to have a character in a novel named after them.

There are also updates on the release dates and availability of his books.

Gaiman's journal isn't particularly neat in its design -- the posts are unformatted and scattered, which adds to the image of the artist as a disorganised young man who uses the medium for convenience sake, not to make an aesthetic statement. But his fans won't mind any of that.

As Basu points out, this blog is an excellent resource for current work in a particular literary spectrum. "It's very relevant for fans of SFF in India, because proper discussion on these genres of literature -- which are not taken very seriously here -- is practically non-existent."

Jai Arjun Singh [Images], aka Jabberwock, blogs at jaiarjun.blogspot.com.

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