Was my last post really before Halloween? Bad Blogger! No cookie for me.
I could blame it on life, which I will, but we both know that’s only part of the issue. It has to do more with staying in the habit of writing. A blog is a living essay that needs to be nurtured or it will die. It needs fresh ideas, shared opinions, conversation, images, and readers. Without all of these things, you may as well just stay on Facebook (which I have been doing too much of, but don’t tell anyone).
A blog also needs to be more than just a platform to sell something. I have a publishing company (Medusa’s Muse Press) and I teach workshops on self-publishing, so I know how hard it can be to not push your wares (like my books, on Medusa’s Muse). It’s okay to share the fact you have something to sell, but I am instantly turned off by writers who keep a blog just to advertise their business.
Why bother blogging at all? There are a million writers with a million blogs and we’re all trying to grab a little bit of attention from a million strangers on the inter-web. It can feel like we’re all shouting into a vacuum. What’s the point?
I blog because I want to help others and I also want to learn from others. I want to discover something new, see something beautiful, and laugh; I hope I can do the same for others. Blogging is also the perfect writing exercise, when I remember to do it. If I get on a schedule and stay committed to my blog, writing posts trains my mind to slow down and focus. It also helps me write faster (something I am sorely out of practice because this post is short but has taken me over an hour to write). And it helps me practice grammar and punctuation (also out of practice with. sigh).
Why do you blog? Are you sharing your life? Making new friends? Changing minds? Teaching? Trying to help people laugh? Raising awareness? Hoping to sell a few more books? I’d really love to know what drives us to spend so much of our precious time writing on the internet in hopes someone out there will notice?
Maybe that’s why I blog: I just want someone to pay attention.