Thursday, September 4, 2008

Blog on Blogging

As I sat down to start my blog post for today, I happened to start wondering why I’m doing this. I have fun in my attempt to communicate with the world, but is that what this is all about?

I did what anyone in this Internet age might do: Googled “blogging.” And got all sorts of results.

I found lists of articles on blogging, with names like: “Blogging for Dollars: Giving Rise to the Professional Blogger,” “What We're Doing When We Blog,” and “Blogonomics: Making a Living from Blogging.” I didn’t read any of the articles... but do people really make a living from blogging?

Then there are posts about the dangers of blogging. Apparently there are blog addicts out there who lose their jobs because they’re always on-line. There’s Internet stalking. And there are writers who fear that blogging saps their creativity for other writing.

You can create blogs easily. TV shows have blogs on their websites. Political candidates and pundits have blogs. Lots of writers blog, of course. Everybody can blog!

Fortunately, my mystery protagonist and alter ego Kendra Ballantyne, pet-sitter, lawyer and murder magnet, has never told me that she’s interested in starting a blog--although maybe she should. What do you think?

I suppose I blog because I think I have something to say--something not entirely fictional, as I do with the rest of my creative writing. Hopefully, it’s at least usually something that people enjoy reading, too.

Do you like to blog? Do you like to read blogs? How much time do you spend on posting or reading blogs every day?

--Linda

10 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

One of my favorite lady authors, J. A. Jance, has a relatively new series, about a blogger.

Anonymous said...

Since a lot of writers work in isolation, blogging and reading blogs gives us a sense of community--we have lots of virtual friends, who we might actually see once or twice a year at conferences.

But you do have to exercise some restraint--there are many, many interesting blogs out there, and only so much time in a day. I spend maybe half an hour a day on them.

And, selfishly, I blog because it forces me to craft short but complete pieces. I don't write short stories, so it's a good exercise.

Beadknitter said...

I love to Blog. I started my blog with the intent of using it to keep a library of the things I make knitting and bead weaving. However, my mother's genes run strong (She kept a journal all her life). Before I knew it, I realized I was writing a journal of things I wanted to remember about my life. The fact that there are actually 16 subscribers to my blog (and none of them family that I know of) just amazes and thrills me. I think there may be a closet writer in my soul.

As for how much time I spend Blogging and reading Blogs? Way too much. That's all I'm gonna admit.

Linda O. Johnston said...

Didn't know about J.A. Jance's blogger series, Barb, but I'll check it out. And you're right, Sheila--it does give writers a sense that we're not alone.

That's an interesting perspective, Beadknitter. I used to keep a journal, still do on trips, but I'm not sure I'd want to share it with the world. With blogging, you can't share anything you want to keep secret!

--Linda

Betty Hechtman said...

I do keep a journal, but it is too private and too boring to put online. I wrote a weekly column in my college newspaper and like to think of my weekly blog being like that. The column covered all kinds of things from problems in the caftertia- I think I called it "A Roach's Life" - to something being added to glue so glue sniffers wouldn't sniff it anymore. I think it was horseradish.

Linda O. Johnston said...

Why not blog sometime about your college newspaper column, Betty? Roaches and glue-sniffing? Wow! Interesting, though yucky, stuff.
--Linda

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