The lovely Lady M wrote a post yesterday that really resonated with me. What to do when one's day seemed boring? Does one blog anyway?
I've not posted much this week because I don't know what to write. I've struggled with this before.
I have a hard time choosing WHAT to write about... so much so that I sometimes don't write anything for fear that it will be a boring list of what we did today.
One of my reasons for trying to blog is to practice writing more descriptively. As a science teacher, I write procedural things - very specific, no pronouns, to the point, leave no room for questions. Sometimes I start a post and it begins to sound this way. I usually don't have a "natural flow" for writing... I tend to belch it all out on the page as kind of a list, and then I have to go back and flesh it out with descriptives.
Sometimes I get writer's block for my blog because I think of several things to write about, but doubt whether anyone wants to read about it. Other times, I run out of time and go several days without posting. (You have to understand that I walk around mentally pointing out situations that could be considered blog-worthy, if properly described.) Then I feel overwhelmed because I don't know what to post about.
It doesn't really help that the first blog writer I started reading on a regular basis was Mir at WouldaCouldaShoulda and WantNot. She's just brilliant and witty and funny. Somehow I got it in my head that every post I write should be like that.
Suddenly, though, after reading Lady M's post, I realized (again) that I just need to write. This blog is so therapeutic for me. It feels good to write, to get my thoughts organized, and to have a place to record memories. Diaries or journals never worked for me because I my hand gets tired before I get finished, and I always feel the need to go back and edit things to make the words flow more smoothly. (Someday I'd like to write a post with all of the original words still there, but marked through, just so you could see what I mean, except you wouldn't be able to read it because 75% of the words would be marked through.) But this blog is sort of like an interactive journal... it's fun to read other people's comments.
So, I've apologized to myself for doubting myself again, and for not writing for the last week. Clean slate! Start again! (Or maybe it's Continue!... whatever!)
4 comments:
I think your blog is always interesting but I often doubt my own. Right now, I'm on vacation and wonder how many people are really interested in small town America. It fascinates ME, though, so I'm writing about it. Maybe the key to good writing and the key to being interesting to readers is to know why you write a blog (i.e. is it to chronicle your life with Jet or as a journal of sorts?) or just to write about things that interest you. I have no idea, I'm just saying...
How do you get your blog to do that "Read More" thing? I've always wanted to do that...
I know the feeling, especially going through my day cataloging which experiences might be good BLOG entries. And there have been times in my BLOG experience that I haven't BLOGged for a couple of months because life got busy or I got lazy. But I always seem to come back, even if it's not quite as often as I used to. And when I get stuck, sometimes a random, "I haven't BLOGged in awhile and this is why" post or a random joke or fact or email forward helps me get back on track. Or even just a quickie 1 or 2 line post. Sometimes I forget that a BLOG entry (or comment for that matter) :) doesn't necessarily have to be a novella. Sometimes I just need time to get me back on track.
Oh and by the way, I know I'm a complete stranger, but you once not so long ago left a whole bunch of random comments on my BLOG, and I've been reading ever since. Your BLOG is enjoyable, or maybe I'm just strange to be interested in the random writings on the life of a complete stranger halfway across the country. But then again, I've been putting my random writings of my life online for over 3 years for those random strangers to read....
Have a a happy 4th!
I, personally, would LOVE to see the original work - strikeouts and all! :]
If for no purpose other than to poke fun at you, my lovely sister.
And even then, I would only be poking fun porque I do something similar. LoveLoveLove you.
Post on, Damsel, Post on!
Glad you enjoyed the post!
I like being able to look back at old posts and read about little day-to-day stories I've already forgotten.
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