Why do you blog and/or write?
I was going to publish something new today, but I wanted to respond to this post by Betty, which was written in response to this post by Wife in the North. So, instead I’m republishing something I originally wrote back in March 2007. I still agree with the sentiments I expressed at the time, but I’ll say more about that at the bottom of the page.
Writing for The Blog Herald, Lorelle Van Fossen airs her opinion on the great A List debate (if you haven’t heard about it, there is a link in Lorelle’s post). It’s a refreshing read, because Lorelle suggests that the success of a blog can only really be determined by the original intentions of the blogger. This is true, and I think it is something which can be applied to writers too.
People write for all sorts of reasons. Fame, money, respect, or simply because they have something to say, a story to tell. Some writers dream of becoming a worldwide best-seller, others are happy to publish a weekly column in their local paper, others still, share their writing with only a few, trusted friends. It is not possible to say that any of these writers are more successful than any other because each one has different aspirations. The writer motivated by a desire for fame, would feel a failure if she remained unpublished. The writer who writes simply for the pleasure of doing so, may feel overwhelmed by fame.
Lorelle creates a new blogger rating list, with listings which reflect the different types of people who blog. Reading through, I would say I am a ‘T Lister’, a Talker. I blog because I have things to say. This ranges from information I want to share, to opinions I want to air, to a strange urge to tell people what I bought from the shops, and when I last mowed my lawn – people seem to enjoy this, and oddly, I like to read this stuff about other people. (Truly, I find personal blogs far more interesting than the celeb gossip/entertainment type) Where was I? Oh yes, for me, the act of having a blog (or blogs) and posting is an end in itself. While a fortune would be nice, I would really hate to be famous for a whole host of reasons. Silly as it sounds, I’m happy just to know that people actually read what I post.
I take writing a little more seriously, but even then if I had the choice between financial and critical rewards I would choose the latter. Of course I want to make enough to live comfortably, but it is possible to do so without becoming a household name. And lets face it, just because someone is a household name it does not mean that they are a good writer, or that they have the respect of their peers*.
But that’s just me, what about you – why do you blog and/or write?
Back in the present – I think many people who have worked in the mainstream media rather miss the point of blogging, and even of writing for the pleasure of doing so. Not everyone wants to become a career journalist or writer. A blogger with a book deal is not neccessarily any better than one without. In fact, in many cases, the lower profile blogs are infinitely better because they are honest, and have the personality of their author threaded through every word. Surprising as it may seem, a large number of people are quite happy publishing a personal blog which will only be read by a handful of people. To denigrate those bloggers based on your own personal measure of success is not only spiteful and arrogant, but also pointless. A blogger who never wanted a book deal really couldn’t care less if another blogger has one. They’d probably feel the same about an AGA.
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