Nova Ren Suma has a lot to say about the long hard journey to finding your place,
and it's inspirational in its own right; I recommend reading the whole
thing. But I wanted to riff here on one particular line, which isn't the
main focus of her post: "I was much better at blogging (and had more
readers!) when I was angsty and unpublished and wanting to drown a box
of rejection letters in the sea."
I think a lot of factors have
contributed to decreases in blog readership generally over the past few
years, most of it involving the wearing-off of novelty and the
proliferation of new social media platforms. Yet I have noticed that, as
Nova Ren Suma said, there are bloggers who blog more when they're
having difficulties, just as I tended to keep a diary during the worst
times in my life, the times when I most needed to vent.
I also
notice, and I think many of us do, that some blog posts that draw the
biggest response are those in which we openly discuss our problems. This
is probably because people respond to honesty, are relieved not to be
alone in their own pain, and/or want to reach out in comfort when they
see someone suffering.
All this is making me think about online
presence, what it is and what it's for. It can be promotion and
marketing; it can be a performance. It can be the simple desire for
communication, the establishment or continuation of a community. It can
serve as a vent. It can be a mixture.
I started this blog because
I wanted to talk about writing, and I didn't know many writers IRL. I
loved the idea of having my own little platform out here in the world,
for whoever cares to stop by. I suppose I've continued it for the same
reason, which is also the same reason I write in general. It's even
better when there is an exchange, when someone comments, but I keep on
writing regardless.
I'm doing a lot of writing for myself lately,
which is why I've been blogging a bit less than formerly, but I'm still
here. Still reading blogs, too.
I'm right here with you too.
ReplyDelete*waves hello*
DeleteI hope all is well with you!