Jenny McB tagged me to share 5 reasons why I blog. My initial response is, "FIVE? I don't know that I have 5 reasons!" So I'll guess we'll find out together as I compose my answer ...
1. It's a journal that I keep for myself. Now that I've been doing this for over a year, it's interesting to look back 12 months and see who I was and what I was up to. It's easier for me to keep a journal this way -- as opposed to moving pen and ink across paper -- because I can do this almost any time. I can quickly begin a post anywhere, including at work, save it and finish it later. It's harder to do that with a bound journal. Also I can type faster than I can write, which makes the act of getting my thoughts down less frustrating. And lastly, Blogger keeps it all neat and tidy for me. If I had a journal, God only knows how I'd organize it, where I'd leave it, and if I'd ever find it again!
2. I like the window it gives me into other people's lives. I always thought that it would be fun to be a mail carrier because I'd know what magazines my neighbors read and I'd learn from the postcards where their friends went on vacation. Blogging gives me a harmless way to indulge in voyeurism.
3. Getting it off my chest. Sometimes things weigh on me, or delight me, that my day-to-day acquaintances aren't interested in. Writing it here, watching the words go from brain to fingertips to the white screen, seeing it in front of me, helps me deal with it and get past it. Or, if it's something happy, it helps me appreciate it more.
4. Communication. I didn't expect this -- it's a delightful bonus. I knew when I started blogging that there was a possibility that people would read this thing. I never considered how it would feel. I like it. I enjoy knowing people are listening. It's a good experiment in self-exploration because I can say things here without concern for the impact it would have on my family, friends or coworkers. Here I'm just another anonymous gal.
5. It's kind of a "bus man's holiday" for me. I'm a writer by trade. I work for an advertising agency and I get assignments from clients. "Write a brochure about this or that by eod Friday." Consequently I'm never at a loss for words; they're my job. But I never get to choose the subject! Thanks to this blog, I have rediscovered how pleasurable writing for writing's sake can be.
So I could come up with 5 after all! Why not circle back and check Jenny's response to this same questions so you can compare, contrast, and think about your own 5 reasons. If you'd like, leave word in the comments that you've posted your response.
Thanks for playing along, I thought this was a pretty good topic. I really like the detail in your responses and yes, yes, yes to 2, 3 and 4. It's so true about the voyeurism, but more, why do people think that way, and usually I can come up with good reasons based on their previous posts.
ReplyDeleteHave a good week!
you came up with alot of my reasons too, and as I said in Jenny's blog, it is so much better then muttering/cursing in the dark to myself.
ReplyDeleteWow, I could have written all of those reasons. (Even the last one - I'm a writer/editor by trade.)
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