Good morning!
Just an observation, I know I am not alone in this. I just wonder why some bloggers always say sorry that they haven’t written a post in a while. Such profusion of apologies which may not be necessary at all. Believe me, unless they follow your blog every minute of the day and read your post every time you click publish, they would not even notice. It is so easy to click FOLLOW (just so maybe they would follow you back) but then sometimes you forget that you have followed a hundred blogs and didn’t even visit half of it except the time you admired that one particular post, except that time your thoughts were in sync with the writer’s words.
I’d rather they click like or even leave a few comments than have lots and lots of followers who don’t even give a thought to say hi or hello, (sometimes, I am guilty of this). I know, I know, you are not obliged but wouldn’t it be a better blogging world if we interact? Having a silent blog is just like keeping a private diary that nobody is allowed to read. Being published publicly is something else.
What you write defines you in a sense. One gets a glimpse of how you view things around you, how you look at life through your writings, how you share, how you express yourself. One could write simply and still deliver the message across. One could convey a lovely message in a single photograph.
Years ago I found this lovely book of Stephen King entitled On Writing (A Memoir of the Craft). I was completely enthralled reading it. It was one of the best books I’ve ever read about writing. Keep it simple without those highfalutin words.
“Let’s get one thing clear right now, shall we? There is no Idea Dump, no Story Central, no Island of the Buried Bestsellers; good story ideas seem to come quite literally from nowhere, sailing at you right out of the empty sky: two previously unrelated ideas come together and make something new under the sun. Your job isn’t to find these ideas but to recognize them when they show up”.
“One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you’re maybe a little bit ashamed of your short ones. This is like dressing up a household pet in evening clothes. The pet is embarrassed and the person who committed this act of premeditated cuteness should be even more embarrassed.”
I hear you sir! I don’t write to impress but to share some thoughts that may inspire others in the process and that alone is one big reason why I blog.
I blog because, a it is cheaper than therapy, b it is away to capture those thoughts running around in my mind (like herding cats),c sometimes I am absolutely enraged about something, d I am leaving a legacy for my children to read , e I have passion and it is a way of ensuring that I am alive, oh and a number of other reasons!
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You’re right, I started blogging to cope with chemotherapy and getting well. Thanks a lot for your visit and leaving some comments here.
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ps i like your blog!
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Thanks 🙂
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We all blog for many different reasons, yet so many of those reasons are also the same, and we don’t realise it. Like most bloggers, I think that I would carry on, even if nobody read anything. But like you Arlene, I enjoy the community, and the interaction. That makes it all the more worthwhile.
Best wishes from England, Pete.
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Self-expression, wanting to be heard. It’s like one is shouting “I’m here” and I have something to share. And like you Pete, I do enjoy the interaction, the exchanging of ideas and learning a lot from other bloggers.
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Blogging helped me in many ways! Plus, I get to practice my photography. 🙂
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Thanks Cel! You surely are doing well with the photography, I love your shots.
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agreed!
happy new year! 🙂
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Thanks Iya! It is really nice to meet another Filipina blogger here. I took a glimpse at your blog, would love to read more.
Happy 2015!
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i enjoy blogging and i’m very happy with my wordpress community – people who are very generous in sharing their talents, experiences and wisdom. they’re fun and inspiring. i learn a lot from them and the interaction is truly a plus! 🙂
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And the fun continues….looking forward to more photos of your travels. I am glad that I get to places that I only read in your posts.
Balbaleg a salamat lolaWi.
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I have really enjoyed reading your posts on my visit today and this one especially struck a chord with me. I blog because I have something to say and not because I want lots of followers. As Pete says, I would blog even if I had no followers at all. However, I also love the interaction and finding out about other peoples’ lives and interests. If anyone is kind enough to comment on my post I always respond. If I decide to follow someone I always make a point of commenting on and/or liking all their posts – I feel it is the polite thing to do.
I wish to thank you for visiting my blog and for the follow. Clare 🙂
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Hi Clare!
Thanks a lot for your lovely comments. I love reading about places that I only get to imagine in some books that I read. I love your pictures too.
In all the years that I have shared my thoughts here, I’ve always felt that even if it is a public site, it is safe to rant and to share your joys and a bit of reflections about life. I am blessed that I’ve found online friends who inspire and share their journeys with me. That’s awesome 🙂
Would love to read more of your posts. Thanks for the visit…arlene
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Funny – I ponder that too … why do some people find it necessary to apologize for being away? … or announce they won’t be posting for the weekend, etc?
I assume everyone has a life away from their blog … and hopefully that life takes precedence 🙂
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Maybe they think they have an obligation to their readers/followers? But if you think that way, it would somehow reduce the joy in blogging, sending your thoughts in cyberspace.
I am still grateful though for my online friends here who really make blogging worthwhile:)
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I second that sentiment 🙂
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Your observation is so true. Although I have regrets that I don’t write a post as often as I would like, I am not sorry for I know the reasons why. And that insights on writing by Stephen King…what soulful reminders on writing.
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Try to get a copy of that book Kay, you’ll surely love it 🙂
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I am always irritated by those profuse apologies – imagining they indicate some sort of overblown sense of one’s own importance as a blogger in the whole grand scheme of things. I, too, would prefer interaction to mindless following. Though, as you admit, experience times when I am putting out into cyberspace far more than I am interacting with others. So – let’s interact. Thanks for popping by to my latest post so we could connect.
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Yeay, one notices these things, sometimes you just smile, at other times you get irritated. Thank you too for following my blog. How do I call you? Would Francis do?
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Yes indeed, Francis will do just fine!
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