What Kinds of Posts Appear on John Scalzi's Whatever Blog?

Updated

Whatever (whatever.scalzi.com) is John Scalzi's personal blog, subtitled "Digital Content from Analog People." It mixes short personal updates, guest posts from other authors, and writing-related news. If you want to know whether it's worth following, the answer depends on which of those you care about: it's a good fit if you want a working science fiction author's day-to-day notes and occasional publishing news, less so if you want long-form criticism or a single-topic feed.

Personal updates: conventions, travel, and everyday notes

The most frequent posts are brief, first-person entries by Scalzi. Recent examples from the site:

  • Convention appearances. A post about attending MileHiCon in Aurora, Colorado as a guest of honor, mentioning panels, signings, and hanging out, with an invitation to "come on down."
  • Travel photos. A "View From a Hotel Window" post from Aurora, CO, captioned "Parking lots and hospitals! This hotel picture has it all!" — a recurring, deliberately low-key format.
  • Objects and moments. A post admiring a steampunk "mad scientist" lab coat given to guests of honor at MileHiCon, with his name and a rocket on the back.

These posts are short, signed "— JS," and often include social sharing links. They read like a public notebook rather than reported articles.

"The Big Idea": guest posts by other authors

"The Big Idea" is a recurring feature where a visiting author writes about their own book — the concept behind it, what prompted it, or what they want readers to take away. The posts are credited to the guest (for example, "The Big Idea: A. T. Sayre") and published under Scalzi's site, sometimes posted by Athena Scalzi. For readers, this is the main place to discover new books and authors through first-person explanations rather than reviews.

Awards, announcements, and writing news

The blog also carries news about Scalzi's own work and recognition. One example is a post noting that When the Moon Hits Your Eye is a 2027 semi-finalist for the Thurber Prize for American Humor. Expect this category to be intermittent — it appears when there's something to announce, not on a schedule.

What else is on the site

The navigation reflects how the blog is organized and what else you can find beyond the feed:

Section What it covers
Home The main blog feed
About / A Brief Biography Background on John Scalzi
Books and Other Projects His published work
Contact Information How to reach him
Guidelines for Publicity, Blurbing, Unpublished Work... Rules for requests, including autographing, fan mail, and educational use
Optioning/Licensing Work, Writing Queries... Business and media inquiries
Scheduled Appearances Where he'll be
Site Disclaimer, Comment, Privacy and "AI" Policy Site rules
The Canonical Bacon Page A long-running site joke

Is it worth following?

  • Follow if you want frequent, informal updates from a working SF author, convention and travel notes, and a steady stream of "The Big Idea" guest posts that introduce new books.
  • Skip if you're looking for reviews, craft advice, or a focused news source — the personal posts are short and the news appears only occasionally.
  • Before sending a request (blurbs, fan mail, interview queries), read the guidelines pages first; the site sets out specific rules for each type of inquiry.

The site itself doesn't state a subscription price or login requirement in the material available, so check the site directly for any access terms.