Blogging Bits
Is it just me or does anyone else do the blogging shuffle? Maybe you know the one. You get an idea, you pound away at your keyboard smiling to yourself at how creative an idea or rant you have, you hit publish and then starts the dance. The questions. As soon as you walk away from the computer you are drawn back and forth to it wondering…Will anyone agree with me? Is it too creative? Will I offend one of my readers? Too harsh? Should I take the post down, leave it up, edit it?
Lately I have been doing a lot of this. I don’t want to be “safe” and only write things that are so bland that I bore even myself. That definitely has never been my personality. I also don’t want to be so outrageous that I scare all my readers away. Regardless what anyone says, whether you blog for yourself or your writers, comments and instant feedback are very important to most bloggers. I know it is to me.
I have read some people that say to blog just for yourself and others that suggest blogging for your readers. Someone else said that risks should be taken daily on your posts. I don’t know. Nothing stings like hearing 1000 crickets chirp for an entire day after you think you put up a brilliant post. I had a few of these lately. Ouch! This almost hurts as much as when I found out recently that my google ranking dropped. Why this matters so much to me, I have no idea. But it does and now I am committed to bringing the number back up even if I die trying. Ok, so that may be a little dramatic, but seriously. I am on a mission.
On a slightly different topic, if you blog, do you consider yourself a writer? Do you have to be making money off a blog to be considered a writer? Why, you ask? Well, with the kids starting a new Tae Kwon Do class this summer and with Ty starting a new school this year, the question of what I “do” has been raised quite a bit. Oh sure, I could answer the old SAHM, but I am starting to not only find that being a SAHM is boring, but also that saying I am a SAHM is boring. Especially around here- seems like a good portion of them are these plastic dippy
moms that sit around and compare how much money their husbands make. Uhm. No thank you.
I could be completely unrealistic and answer a lion tamer, because on any given day, I could be taming some little boys that like to pretend to be lions, but well… it just doesn’t seem right. I could say a cook, as I do spend a good portion of my days baking and cooking, but still. Not quite right. Then I think, why not blogger? I could say that. But most people give me a strange look whenever I even SAY that word and those who don’t look at me like I just announced I am pregnant with aliens ask me what’s the name of my blog. That I don’t really want them to know. I may want to blog about them and don’t really want my RL to be reading my online life. Got to keep ‘em separated!
So why not writer? It makes me sound dark and deep, tortured and creative. I like that idea. Even if it’s not totally me, it’s still exciting and interesting. I do write. I write blog post, grocery list, to do list, emails, dismissal slips, and thank you cards. If anyone asked what I write I could just say I freelance. Or maybe. MAYBE. I should just get my act together and actually DO some writing and freelancing. I have only been saying I was going to do it for years now. I don’t know though. It’s just those darn crickets…
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6 Responses to “Blogging Bits”
July 31st, 2007 at 11:58 am
I think you should define yourself as whatever you believe yourself to be. Even if you don’t meet some sort of made-up by other people criteria.
July 31st, 2007 at 2:03 pm
Definately agree with you on the second-thought posts. Lately I’ve been hearing of people reading my blog that I just didn’t expect to be out there and I wonder what they thought about a particular post or whatever.
As far as being a SAHM- one time someone insisted my occupation was “domestic goddess”- not that I’d really use that as a comeback, but it was pretty funny! Homeschool-SAHM does it for me.
July 31st, 2007 at 2:08 pm
oh yeah, I think you should just blog about whatever you’re thinking or feeling and not really worry about how people take it- I read your blog to get to know you-
July 31st, 2007 at 3:37 pm
Totally understand this one. This is usually why I don’t put many posts up. I think I’m going to make it my new goal to write something each day, and if it’s not what people want to hear, then, oh well. As far as who you are, and what you do? I agree with Gina. Very well put.
July 31st, 2007 at 8:24 pm
To borrow a phrase, Just Do It! Freelancing is the perfect WAHM job.
August 2nd, 2007 at 10:54 pm
This was a wonderful post, Boogiemum. On so many levels. I, too, have heard my fair share of crickets and wondered… was it something I said?? And yet I know that people read me and don’t always comment. (I don’t know my Google rank or how one goes about finding that out, but I do look at my stats more than I’d like to admit.)
Also, I still have a hard time calling myself a writer, too. And yet I hold no judgment to anyone who calls themselves one, especially bloggers. You DO write. And well! But your SAHM title is just as impressive to me (if not more so), for what it’s worth. I’m all for freedom. So I say call yourself whatever you desire, write whatever you’d like to write, and by golly give the freelance gig a try. And now I’m just pontificating… sorry!