Blogging

   Reportedly one of the signs of getting older is not being able to get a full night of sleep. I’m not sure at what point one officially classifies as “getting older” because the last time I checked, we’re all doing that from the moment we’re born. However, I will admit to being closely acquainted with insomnia at this time in my life. You could say we’re on a first name basis. The point is- what does one do with those hours of one’s life when we can’t sleep but are not ambitious enough to be upright & productive?

   I tend to entertain myself by writing elaborate blog posts in my head. They sound brilliant and funny and fascinating at 3am, but in broad daylight all brilliance vanishes. That’s why you haven’t read any of them here. I keep talking myself out of writing them down. No one wants to read that junk, no one cares what you think, I tell myself the morning after.

   Here’s the thing I wrestle with- other writers have a point to their blog. They write step-by-step directions for wonderful recipes we might want to try… they write deep theological stuff that inspires us… they write adorable things their children do and say to preserve it… I am none of those things. The only point to my blog is giving my out-of-state family a chance to see photos of our latest trip (and read what all went wrong this time around!) or whatever major event is going on in our lives. For roughly half my family that actually read blogs. And about a dozen other non-relatives that drop by once in a while to see what we’re up to, presumably. 400 hits is about as viral as it ever gets around here.  

   And that other thing that nags at me- there is the idea floating around out there that if one blogs, one should write with some sort of regularity. The only thing I write with regularity is my journal, checks, and a grocery list. None of which would interest the general public. I've been counseled to write what you know about. (Don't even get me start on Amish fiction authors! Puh-lease!) Case in point- my last blog post, which practically wrote itself. Bottom line- we just aren't that interesting of people, don't have that much to write about regularly.   

   I’ve discovered the one way to increase my readership is to put a link to my blog on FaceBook. If you make it handy, they will come. (Very “Field of Dreams”-ish.) But it always seems a little pretentious to me. I have a love/hate relationship with self-promotion. Liking that someone, anyone, bothers to read what I took the time to write vs. feeling foolish and uncomfortable with promoting myself. And of course, the unfortunate fact that the more one puts one’s self out there, the more chances there are of being misunderstood and criticized. I’ve been on a receiving end of writer’s backlash a couple times and I don’t care for it. I’m not on friendly terms with drama and conflict. So it becomes the ultimate dilemma for us introverts who are so much more comfortable with the written word vs. the spoken word –to write or not to write. That is the question. (Very Shakespearean.) 

   So there you have it. I was raised on the conventional wisdom “if you don’t have anything worthwhile to say, don’t say anything”. So I argue with myself regularly whether what I have to say is worthwhile or not. For now, ‘not worthwhile’ is coming out on top. And the things that crop up with alarming regularity -like laundry, cooking, cleaning, bookwork and the nearly hopeless job of catching up on 12 years’ worth of scrapbooking fill my daylight hours -ahead of blogging.   

   But I am rolling around some thoughts on the controversial subjects of finances and some of my religious beliefs… maybe if they percolate awhile longer they will brew into something of interest. But don't hold your breath.