no more blogging

(image by Debora DeWitt Marchant)

I’ve almost completely abandoned this blog and will probably end up doing away with it completely not only because I haven’t got the time, but also because I would much rather spend that time writing in my personal journal. It’s something I’ve been doing for well over 30 years – long before there ever were such things as blogs.

So just in case this turns out to be my very last blog post, as it probably will be, I think it’s appropriate for this final adieu to focus on the difference between journaling and blogging.

I love reading other people’s blogs. Or rather I love reading SOME of the many blogs I come across. The ones I find most enjoyable are those that introduce me to new experiences, ideas, interests and ways of seeing things and doing things. I’ve got a wide range of favorites –gardening blogs, reading blogs, creativity blogs, even a few marvelously esoteric blogs that deal with the numinous world of the spirit. In addition to the information my favorite blogs contain, they are all attractive to look at and engaging to read because they are well written and artfully designed by people who are willing to take the time to do both well.

But the internet has also become a microphone and a stage for people to use in order to focus - in copious detail - on their very favorite topic, which generally happens to be themselves. Many blogs end up turning into places for disgruntled people to criticize, bicker, whine and complain about whatever annoying thing seems to be bugging them at the moment. These blogs tend to resemble each other in tone and style and I’ve noticed that one thing many of them have in common is the frequency with which the word suck” is used in reference to something that’s upsetting, annoying or frustrating. In many, but not all of these blogs, profanity becomes the method of choice for self-expression….possibly because it doesn’t require much creativity and takes less time to dash off.

Which brings me to the difference between a blog and a journal. It seems to me that what goes into the former deserves to be treated a little more carefully since everyone has access to it. On the other hand, a personal journal is much more private and since no one else gets to read it it’s a good place to let off steam. It’s also the place for recording trivial details that matter to no one else but the person doing the writing, and for saying all kinds of things that need to be said but don’t necessarily need to be shared. That’s why I prefer journaling to blogging. It’s a way to talk to myself without needing to take into consideration the fact that the whole world might be listening.

Frankly it amazes me that more people haven’t figured that out for themselves instead of continuing to churn out blog posts that really ought to be journal entries. Writing is a great way to work through issues, clarify problems and get to know ourselves a little better…and frequently the things we discover in the process aren’t necessarily the kinds of things the rest of the world needs to know about.

What’s more, blogging about things that ought to be filed away in a personal journal instead can reveal things about a person that aren’t always very flattering. Without intending to, a person can come across as being superficial and petty, self-absorbed and selfish, and woefully lacking in sensitivity or compassion. That’s especially the case with the number of bloggers who, in their haste to vent their frustrations end up saying things about other people that are hurtful and unkind. Better off reserving those things for the pages of a private journal where there’s no chance that the other person need come across it.

And so….come to think of it that’s what I think I’m going to go do right now. I’ve got a couple of things to say about what’s been going on in my life lately. And I’m not particularly interested in sharing them with the rest of the world.

Blogging?

It’s been some time since I’ve written anything for my blog and it will probably be just as long before I get back to it again. It’s because I am trying to follow some advice I picked up last June at the Iowa Writers Festival. On the last day of class the instructor reminded us that it’s important to make time each day to write. Following a spirited discussion about how hard that is to do given the fact that life keeps getting in the way, we all calmed down and started sharing some tips for keeping the busy-ness of our lives from interfering with our writing projects. Naturally, the subject of blogs came up.



Not everyone in the group was convinced blogging is such a good idea. Some of us wonder if maybe it ends up being one more distraction that gets in the way of our other writing projects. By the time I’ve written what I want to say and figured out how to make the damn thing look the way I want it to look by adding links and photos, I’m usually appalled at how long it’s taken. And so I end up with even less time for the other writing I want to be doing.



On the other hand…the faithful bloggers in my workshop claimed it lets them exercise their writing muscles on a regular basis. They said blogging encourages them to observe and pay closer attention to what’s going on around them so they can turn it into a blog post. And finally, they like the fact that blogging gives them a head start on ideas they can come back to later since blog posts can be edited, revised, expanded upon, polished and turned into articles, poems, essays, short stories, memoirs, or just about anything a writer might want to turn out.



As for me….the jury’s still out. It’s nearly September and I haven’t posted anything since April. That’s pretty clear evidence that I don’t have the kind of lifestyle (not to mention the discipline) needed to be a faithful blogger. But I love to write, almost as much as I love to read, and one way or another on most days I usually manage to do both. I doubt if my blog will ever replace the journal I’ve been keeping for the past 30 or so years. And I’ve been accumulating a jumble of notes and jottings about a couple of ideas that are begging to be written about. Because I have to admit that having had one book published is a little like getting one tattoo. You just naturally want to do it again. (And I know what I’m talking about – having done both!)



Having spent far too much time trying to get the following information centered under the graphics that appear in this post, I’ll do it this way instead:
“A Matter of Time” Kathleen Patrick
“Blogging Woman” free clip art
“the Time” Giovanni Rapti
“Edith Wharton at her writing desk” from the Beinecki Library, Rm 26
“Man Getting a Tattoo” free clip art