I have two blogs. One on here and one on myspace. I've been blogging for a while now though I go through dry spells like anyone, and I've often wondered about the vanity that must be involved in "blogging". I get the advertising side of it..it's good fodder for creative writers. They can "connect" with thier fans and experiment with material while also advertising thier new books. What about the rest of us though? What possess perfectly run of the mill ordinary everyday people to blog? I'm sure there are those that do it to stay in touch with family that's far away and i'm just as sure that there are those that will claim it's therapeautic. Sort of an exorcising the demons sort of thing. I myself am far to self aware to paint a pretty picture as to why I blog. I am vain..plain and simple. I have a great appreciation for my god given talen with words. I've been told by too many people and for far too long that this is my true gift..not just writing but storytelling and yes there's a difference. Anyone with a basic understanding of their language can write. Storytelling is something else entirely. Think about all those authors that make the top ten best sellers list..why are they up there? Because they can tell a story in such a way that it appeals to a large variety of people. It's no secret people love a good story. It's an escape from our dreary dull everyday lives. I've spent a lot of sime thinking about it. Why when one person tells a story about her kids and family it's cute or endearing but it's not one of the top sellers. Yet take that same story and give it to someone with a talent for words and phrases and the story becomes something that is so much more. It's gripping and magical and relatable. Am I so vain to think i'm in a league with those storytellers? oh hell no! It would be beyond vain and into the realm of self delusion to believe such a thing. First off i've no idea how to write a whole complete novel. I've tried before in the past but the formula is just like a mystery to me. My talent is raw and untried hence why I blog. it's a short story a brief glimpse into my otherwise pretty uneventful life. I do love to write..no matter what else is going on in my life I can always run away into the pages of a book or write those pages myself and create a whole lovely and adverturous world for me to play in.
I do play in my imaginary world. I suspect there are many authors especially the ones that write seriel books who do the same. Once you find a favorite place to live in your head you want to visit it as often as you can feasibly get away with. This is the allure and the attraction to many to want to become a writer. I love to write but i'm not "in love" with writing. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I was forced to meet deadlines that my love for writing would dry up and vanish and i'd be left bitter and resentful that my favorite past-time had been taken away.
So back to my original thought. Why do people blog? Why has it become to amazingly popular? When I first started blogging it was relativly new and unheard of. It was like an online diary that people could go to write out their feelings with much stronger security than a simple lock on a book. Then someone came along and had the brilliant idea to make a place for people to leave comments. I suspect these same people thought a lot of themselves and wanted to see if others thought the same about them. Ok I might be just a teensy bit over doing it there. I'm sure they had much more noble reasons thant this, though i can't think of any right now, to put that comments box in. My point is this..once the comments box was there blogging took a whole life of it's own. I love writing a piece and then checking to see what others think of it. I like knowing that what i'm going through matters to someone other than me. I like knowing that there are people who care enough about what i'm saying to read it and leave a note. whether they agree or disagree is the same to me. I'm not threatened by ideas different than my own and I value another perspective of the same situation. Mostly I like that place in my head that i go to play in so much that I want to invite others to play with me too. After all we are social creatures. So now you know why I blog, what I want to know is, why do you blog?