My blog has been up for a little over two months, and I realized that I had yet to write the requisite blog about blogging.
So here it is: the blog about why I blog. Because honestly, I had been avoiding blogging for some time. (Too bad my old blog disappeared into the Ethernet, as, if I recall correctly, there were quite a few very short blog posts about me not actually blogging. I’m not even joking.)
I guess when blogging first became a thing (When was that? Surely I was still a teenager,.) there were all these ultra-personal blogs out there. Or maybe that is just how I perceived the world of blogging. These types of blogs do still exist of course, but that just never interested me as a writer. I kept (and still keep) a journal where I scribble up my demons, and I’ve never felt the need to share these thoughts with the world. If I had a blog, it needed to serve some kind of purpose other than being all about me.
Like most people, I also have limited time in my day. What little free time I have should and could be spent doing soooo many other things: revising my paranormal romance; finishing that short mystery story I started writing three weeks ago; editing that novel that is getting published in the fall; watching Season 3 of The Americans. I didn’t want blogging to suck time away from projects I deemed worthier.
But lately, I have actually been reading a lot blogs, which I never really did before. (I’ve been incredibly sheltered. I know.) I have discovered that there is so much out there in the world of blogging. I came to the realization that my blog did not have to be me whining about my writer’s block or detailing my struggles balancing writing with motherhood. In fact, many of my posts didn’t have to be about me at all. Hence, I’ve added the monthly “Creative Minds” profiles, which have given me an excuse to reconnect with some of the amazingly creative people that I’ve gotten to know over the years; and the bi-weekly “Book Bites” segments, which have been a fun way to learn about what other writers are writing about—and get cooking ideas. I could even invite my friends and fellow writers to share their insights once in a while.
And yes, sometimes it’s OK to just share what the heck is on my mind—like I am doing right now. Because sometimes these ideas fester in my brain, I need to get them out into the world so that I can get back to working on my other writing projects.
More importantly, I’ve realized that the more I write, the more I write. Blogging hasn’t taken time away from my other writing projects. Instead, this blog has actually motivated me to get my act together as a writer (something I’ve been planning to do for years.)
So that’s it. My blog about blogging.
Now time to finish writing that short story.
My blog was always “Nora-Efronesque” because, to be honest, all our writing is about us, our thoughts, our take on things, etc. In the end it gives meaning not only to us, but to those who peer into our musings and recognize themselves in there. It’s no different than making and keeping friends. We think and do many things, but it’s the offer of intimacy that makes it authentic.
I hope you find your authenticity whether here or in your other writing, and that it energizes you and gives you more creative powers.