I feel like I had to defend the idea of blogging yesterday to a lecturer. So, what are blogs for? I blogged, to start with, because I wanted to organise my own thoughts and doubts about writing. I didn't really think about an audience, but as I got more confident I started looking at other peoples' blogs and found they were very useful. Here are my reasons for blogging:
To journal about the writing process (very 'therapy' I know but writing is often cathartic)
To connect with other writers with the same issues
To connect with writers with different issues
To be inspired by other writers and their stories
To be entertained or informed
To keep up to date with the literary world
As a writing exercise (I have a 1000 word a day writing habit or I fall into writer's block)
As a record of my journey to look back on
For the ideas, inspirations and support I get from comments and emails
To be part of a wider writing community
So, to all those bloggers out there whose blogs I regularly visit although I don't always leave comments, thank you for taking the time to inspire, encourage, amuse, connect and entertain with other writers. I'm headed for a very busy week and it will be nice to focus attention back on writing.
In the meantime, I've written a short piece for the fiction as homework. Three other people have done the same and emailed them round. They are all good. One is way better than mine (teeth gnashing gently). Nothing raises my game more than competition, so this will be good for me, and it got me writing the book again and, more importantly, going back and editing the new chapters for plot. This seems to be my new method. Write 2-3 chapters then go back and look for inconsistencies and awkward bits before I worry about the actual writing. I've also written a poem for the poetry class, though it's still in prose form at the moment. I wonder if I will be the only one?
So, I was wondering fellow bloggers: Why do you blog?
keeping my blog has impacted my writing life (and career) more so than anything else.
ReplyDeleteand not just my writing life, my life had changed for the better in so many ways i can't even begin to list them b/c i don't know where to start.
i feel very fortunate to live in a time when such a resource is available to writers.
Thank you Amy, I feel very similarly about blogging, I would really miss it if I couldn't. I think writing every day even for an imaginary reader or two makes me a writer.
ReplyDeletePS I loved your post about your father and grandfather. I think what makes us happy is stopping to feel the moments when we are happy, living in the moment and enjoying them.
As you know my blog started as an assignment for PP. When the course finished, I kept on blogging. It's helped me find my voice, work on my writing and build a community of fellow writers. On the downside, it sends me online and eats a lot of time. I'm planning to scale down a bit, but not to stop blogging. See you next week.
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