I realized that I wrote some of my most compelling stuff (okay, other than themacaroon thread) in those early days when no one was watching. I have to admit that since then, most of my stuff has been drivel.
It is a common dilemma, something that many bloggers agree with. Mo further elucidates:
I find that this happens with most bloggers. They come out of the blocks with a head of steam and quickly peter out. Many stink from the beginning but others start with interesting takes but stop being interesting shortly after debuting. Ironically, since many bloggers are driven by their desire for hits but peak in hits only after having written everything interesting that they will ever write, most readers are drawn to them only after they descend to mediocrity.
The intrepid Baal Ha-Bayit of Treppenwitz has a solution he refers to as David's Room. Here is a description:
In a nutshell, the most frustrating aspect of a journal’s early life is that you can’t save your ‘good stuff’ for when you have a bigger readership… because, guess what? That readership is never going to show up unless you have the good stuff out there for them to read.
‘David’s Room’ posits that the first few months of a blog/journal’s life can be compared to someone reading their most intimate prose into an intercom… all the while hoping that someone – anyone - will eventually walk into the room on the other end and start listening (and maybe even talk back).
I am not sure that I agree with the gentleman. I think that initially you may find that you share many of your best stories early on, but it seems to me that any blogger worth their salt requires some time to find their sea legs.
That is, it takes time to find your voice and your place. Blogging is a skill, it is not something that most people can just sit down and do effectively. It requires time, patience and devotion to improvement. It is not merely a matter of having good stories to tell, but it requires a certain skill in effectively communicating your thoughts and feelings.
The blogs that capture me offer a combination of these elements.There are some bloggers who I read solely for their skills as wordsmiths. I think that their stories are junk, I can't relate to them or find them to be stupid. That is the truth, but I also know that I can always learn from others and I seek out writing that captures me, that grabs me by the balls and says read me.
To use an old cliche, when push comes to shove it seems to me that the blogs that last are going to be those that have authors that are intimately tied to their blogs. I have a love affair with my blog. She is my confidant and my best friend. Non-judgemental and forgiving she listens to my tales of happiness and destruction without question and without comment.
If you want my unsolicited advice, don't do this unless you are writing for yourself. It is the only way that you can truly be happy At least, at 12:36 am it makes sense to me. Maybe I'll feel differently during daylight hours.
Night all.
5 comments:
The following is something I wrote on my blog a few posts ago:
...I don't have to be the BLOGGER OF THE WEEK pinup--I just have to put some smiles on people's faces, or frowns on their forehead, or just give them an idea to carry further.
Why not try to get "back to basics" yourself and kick the habit of a traffic meter? The people who read you before will continue to read you, the people who critiqued you before will continue to do so, too.
Try it, you might like it....
Stereotyping anything is always dangerous. If we did that we can say that blogs are temporary outlets for people. A lot of bloggers give it up.
I like to think of blogging as a community. It takes a while to learn about people. Some are close friends, others we have passing contact...
The best blogs are the open and honest interaction. They get better with age.
Take Care
Michael
I must be bucking the trend, because I can tell you that my early postings were absolute crap, but lately I think I've found my stride.
I think the readership helps. It's inspiring to know people that people are waiting for you to write something, and also I tend to come up with ideas based on reader comments.
But mostly I find the old adage applies: Write what you know.
Why should bloging be different than any other artisitc pursuit? First, there are definitely hacks. Second, many artists find that their first sketches are often more powerful than finished pieces. And early work can have the fire of youth and rebellion, while later work suffers from comfort and acceptance.
Authors republish earlier, less-known works to great acclaim -- bloggers can certainly do the same. The market will determine whether they were truly of any worth.
Solid commentary is important. I think that there is something to be said for writing when you know that there are people reading.
I still maintain that the most important person to blog for is yourself, but there are positives in knowing that you work is being read by others.
My blog is a work in progress.
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