What is your view of personal blogging in general?
I like posts that share personal stories, teach us something and/or have a good plot to them. I don't like blogs that are:
- all about someone's outfit of the day/hair products/well-designed inspiring quote from an author they've never read.
- not well edited. Good writers are only made so by good editing. Brevity is an art form in itself!
- have no tension or conflict (Your mom* may be the only one who wants to hear about the errands you ran today or what you ate for lunch.)
- have conflicting viewpoints (One cannot post about budget finds from a store supplied by sweatshops alongside lipstick that stops human trafficking.)
Though, I don't have to have anything in common with the writer (Orange County mom of 4) to love how they write and what they write about.
Why do you do it?
Because I'm a middle child and I have the deep-seeded need to be heard... and social media makes it so easy to feel like a star! Seriously, though, I do it because writing and thinking are synonymous to me. It's how I process life. And its probably why I've retracted some things (hello, Kony 2012) as I learn and evolve. I have such a habit of thinking in a writing format (i.e. full sentences, editing as I go, picking words that sound good to me) and I now write blog posts in my head while walking the dog, brushing my teeth, sitting in traffic. Not all on-the-go thinking gets written down, but I do get the satisfaction of knowing that the thought has been thought. Ya know?
How do you disconnect from readers and just write what you want? Or do you struggle with that? This has been a process. It's trial and error. I often think,"My dad is going to read this" and that keeps me from going overboard. Although, I do write about politics, religion and women's health so much that it's a wonder he still reads. I think he comes for the pictures of Roo. Which is also a good point - throw in some cute dog pics and people will forgive you!
You mentioned in one post you "don't feel safe in your own blog" since family members got the address, how real is that concern? Does it effect what you write?
How I felt in that scenario is how one feels when they've been caught dancing and singing while wearing headphones. And I believe that some family has stopped reading because of that. Oh well. Again, its the "processing" thing I mentioned above. I had not shared my URL with many people when the Mr. thought he was doing me a PR favor by handing it out. I felt violated. Like someone had been reading my middle school diary. I can't write about some things because the situations are too specific for me to generalize with fake names and locations. Unfortunately some of my best/worst thoughts cannot be expressed because of the people involved. It is restrictive, but I keep going and honestly think that it's better this way. Everything written online is out there forever so it's better that I censor myself. Plus, I've been able to use my blog to leverage freelance opportunities now.
What is your view of writing things that offend people? (like you said you did sometimes) Does that make you nervous or do you just not care?
Blogging is like prison. Beat someone up right away and no one will mess with you. (J/K... I think). I'm as bold online as I am in real life. I'm not afraid of tough conversations or confrontations. I've gotten into it with another blogger before. Not badly, but we did exchange snarky comments. I realized then that I need to speak my piece on MY blog. Instead of leaving inciting comments on someone else's blog, I can use those points to launch into a counter-post on my site. I get to control the content and they get to ignore my criticism. Win, win.
How much time do you spend on it (mental head space as well as executing posts)?
Some posts are 15 minutes, some are an hour. If there are a lot of pictures or if the post is on a sensitive topic, I like to spend more time on them. If I spend more than an hour I know I haven't perfected the idea and I save the post in drafts. I stick by my idea of brevity.
Do you have any goals, like to get more readers? Comments?
I used to watch the pageviews more. I had goals to get more comments too. But I don't have sponsors and I don't make any money on my site. If I did, I think I'd be worried about the numbers more - but I also wouldn't be able to write about whatever I want. The difference between a hobby and a job-by is the paycheck, right? I think I'll forgo monetary strings to be able to rant for now.
So why do/would YOU blog?
Or have I just scared you?
This doesn't scare me (maybe it does?). And it has nothing to do with this post. I just hope in my heart of hearts that this is how they dress at home.
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*Your mom!
