*tiptoes hesitantly into my own thread* Welcome! I'm happy and flattered that you're taking the time to read my thoughts, particularly as they tend to border on the rambling and incoherent ;)
At the risk of getting way too 'meta' here, this first blog entry focuses on...well, on blogging itself. What's our motivation for doing it? Is it an attempt to connect with both friends and strangers who may share our interests and empathize with our views of this endlessly weird world? Is it to vent our feelings and beliefs so that we can achieve that 'catharsis' much lauded by mental health professionals? Are we seeking to relate to others or to figure something out about ourselves? Are we bloggers (a title for which I barely qualify, given that I'm yet to complete one entry!) a bit grandiose for assuming we have a unique perspective and insight that the cyber-universe will find entertaining and/or enriching?
As always, my own motivations remain nebulous to me. Hey, just because I spend an inordinate amount of time ruminating and analyzing doesn't mean I ever gain any actual self-awareness ;) Part of me is writing this blog because writing is my true passion. It's the one activity that I always find stimulating and fulfilling and which makes me feel genuinely thrilled to be alive. Yes, to answer your unspoken question, I find it even more stimulating and fulfilling and life-affirming than that other activity you may be thinking of---the one we see an awful lot of on HBO and the sort of programs you can only access on pay-per-view;) Now, get your collective minds out of the gutter that I've unwittingly led them to!
In marked contrast to my never-quite-finished novel, maybe writing blog entries will provide me with a 'woo-hoo, I actually completed something!' sense of accomplishment. Maybe they'll spark a few interesting and/or amusing discussions. Maybe they'll help me connect on an even deeper level with the people I already know and introduce me to a few potential cyber-friends I've yet to meet. Maybe there will be benefits I'm not yet anticipating.
I'm eager to hear from you (yes, YOU---all two or three people whom I've coerced into reading this entry!) Have you found blogging to be a worthwhile activity, or a self-indulgent waste of time? Which sort of blogs do you find most enjoyable to read? Oh, and are you perhaps interested in reading about a 35 y/o's thoughts on everything from being a female football addict to the perils of Internet dating to why my addiction to TV deepens by the week? On the remote chance that you answered 'yes' to that final question, this is so very much the blog for you ;)
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A great first post by a terrific author! You raise some important questions and I suspect everyone has their own answers to those questions.
ReplyDeleteI think blogging is important for a writer. It gives you a chance to practice your craft in just a few hundred words rather than pages. I look forward to reading many more of your posts -- TV posts always welcome. I will need guidance when the new season starts, ok?
I am incredibly interested in the last question - also, a detailed explanation for musical loves would be nice!
ReplyDeleteI find blogging to be both a worthwhile activity and a self-indulgent waste of time. Sometimes, within the same entry.
Frankly, the real reason why I like blogging is because I feel like I'm producing something, accomplishing something, when too often I feel like I have all these grand plans I never enact. I know that my goal is to write one blog post per day, and when I meet that goal I'm a happy camper. When I don't meet that goal, I'm a sad panda, but that makes me all the more determined to hit it the next day.
I'm really looking forward to your blog posts, because you can write. And for me, that is the type of blog that is most enjoyable to read. Something well written, even if it is a view point I disagree with, is generally enjoyable.
Jen, be careful what you wish for, as you've now opened yourself up for endless entries on exactly which TV shows I demand that (er,I mean, gently suggest that) you watch!
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I think I just lost a couple of followers there ;)
Petra, my ego and I love you for claiming that I can write, particularly given that the source of that compliment happens to be a superior writer herself!
I'm really looking forward to reading your posts! You really have a knack for writing, a true author. I'm almost embarrassed at the thought of you reading my blog entries as they are full of mumble-jumble about my 2 little french fries! Anyway, hopefully someday I'll aspire to your level of writing. In the meantime, I'll just enjoy reading your posts! Have fun and welcome to the world of blogging!!!! :)
ReplyDeletegreat first post!
ReplyDeletei can't wait to read your musings on tv once the new Fall season starts.
A great start. I have no follow through for writing, so keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteIt is like I have been transported back to all of those Diet Snapple filled nights in Gilbert Hall.
ReplyDeleteThis whole blog thing is new to me, I follow a few for gluten free recipes and parenting kids with ASD but you will be my first fun blog - I look forward to the funny and the thoughtful, another way to stay in touch with one of my favorite people, but I still wish you lived closer.
Maybe I will be inspired - do you think that anyone would read mine? Three of Everything - Life on the front lines of raising triplets?
And another plus is that reading your TV posts will be sort of like I have the time and patience to actually follow a show for more than two weeks!
You are a talented writer and I do hope that your words will reach beyond cyberspace someday soon . . .
Nik, I would be your most faithful reader ever (which is a polite way of announcing that I would cyber-stalk you mercilessly).
ReplyDeleteThanks so much to everyone for the compliments and support. I hope one day I can be half as good a writer as many of you are!
And, by popular demand, my first of many entries on TV is up next ;)
Great first post! Looking forward to a new one every day, lol!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on starting your blog. Hope to see more from you!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on a great first post! You've asked some questions that I've asked myself as I contemplate starting my own blog. I want to blog for two primary reasons: that catharsis you spoke of and to try to make sense of this journey that has been my life for over 45 years -- okay 47 years :). I used to love to journal so for me blogging would just be the next step. Yours will proudly be the first blog that I actively follow so I can't comment on any other blogs. I will usually read someone's blog post as a result of a tweet. Again, great job but blogging will not get you off the hook for delivering that novel :-)
ReplyDeleteYou are such a great writer. I like that you are honest. I often feel like you are talking right to me in your writing, even the blurbs on FB. I think -- I totally hear you Marla!!
ReplyDeleteMarla,
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you how impressed I was by your blog. I always knew how funny and articulate you are from our many conversations but I never realized how incredibly well you write. You should really pursue this as a career because you have a real talent for this.
I can see you as writing some fantastic comedic pieces. Who knows, maybe a movie script lies inside your very imaginative brain.
Keep at it.
Frank
Marla, my advice would be not to analyze why you write because how can you describe love for the written word?
ReplyDeleteWhat you decide to write and how you write it will determine if you are creatively expressing yourself or staring into a mirror. But I have to ask, what's the problem with staring if it is beautiful?
-freeside83~
I always enjoy reading what you write. You obviously have a natural gift and a definately consider your honesty an asset. Your sarcasm is also very entertaining. I appreciate insight on things that other people take for granted or may consider "useless" andI look forward to reading your future blogs.
ReplyDelete