Lessons from Blogging

Who knew?

So, I originally started a blog because, well…that’s what I’d heard writers did. If you were serious about being a published author, you had a blog. And you talked about writing, or books, or something similar. So I started a blog, and began to try to write a little about writing. At first, I figured I’d have difficulty with it, and that one day a week would be more than I could handle!

I recently realized that I actually enjoy blogging, for the sake of blogging. There’s the sense of community I’m beginning to develop (many of my readers seem to be fellow bloggers so far). There’s the joy of having a little space on the internet where I can say whatever I want and never have to worry about violating rules. The rules are mine, if I don’t like them I can simply change them. The power is heady indeed! I enjoy having my own little corner of the  web to arrange however I like* and the ability to share it with the world in general.

But most of all, I enjoy writing. Every week I must come up with something interesting to write about, and present it in a way to draw the reader in, and hopefully keep them coming back time and again. I can’t think of a better way to practice for writing publishable stories! Each post is like a chapter, and my stat-counters tell me which “chapters” are interesting, and which ones might need some work. If my readership grows, I can conclude that my writing is improving. And if it doesn’t, well…I can always keep practicing until the readers do start recommending me to their friends.

I’m not usually a moralizer** but I think there is a lesson here today. I never thought I would enjoy blogging, sure that it would be a chore not a joy. Until I tried it for a few months and discovered that I enjoy it more every day. Often, people refuse to try something, whether it’s food or an activity, because they’re sure they won’t like it. They see it from the outside, and think “That’s not for me.” Sometimes, circumstances force people to try something they didn’t think they’d like, and are usually pleasantly surprised. Just think how many more foods or activities we would have to love if we tried all the ones we didn’t think we’d like!

So, don’t just sit there, go out and try something new! You never know, you might like it.

*By this I mean, I see something pretty and pester my webmaster until she implements it and makes it look nice and work properly.

**Recently I heard somewhere the phrase “One man’s morality is another man’s sin.” I think that is very true, and something to remember next time one is inclined to moralize.

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