The Middle-Aged Woman and the Blog

Back to blogging with my three co-bloggers!  Each week, one of us chooses a topic and we all post a blog entry on that topic, usually on Thursdays.  (Usually we are on time.  Usually.  Ok, mostly.  Sometimes?  Don’t judge me.)

Here are the links to the other fabulous blogs:

Merryland Girl           

Froggie 

Moma Rock

This week, Froggie chose the topic, and she asked:  How does your blogging differ from when you first started blogging?  Here’s my take:

            Although I had already set up my blog when Froggie invited me to join this group two years ago (wow!), I hadn’t posted a whole lot, mostly just stupid stuff I thought was funny, mixed with an occasional “thought piece” that probably wasn’t all that thoughtful.  I posted inconsistently and not very often, and mainly to amuse myself.

            I suppose the latter part hasn’t changed:  I still kind of amuse myself via blogging (or I sure try).  But my posts feel more thoughtful these days, largely because the topics chosen by my co-bloggers often require such depth.  I try to match the level of “heft” of the various topics, and I take a great deal of time writing each post (though it may not seem that way), likely more than it appears when reading my entries.  (I write and then re-write and then edit et cetera, et cetera, et cetera).  (Ten points if you get that reference.  See?  Still amusing myself.)  I take more pride in my blogging now, and that’s because I know that at least three people (my co-bloggers) read it, and that keeps me accountable.  Years ago, my Dad told me that all you have in life is your name and your credit rating.  As a former journalist, I took those words to heart whenever my byline would be attached to something I wrote that would be published in print.  (Also, I’m totally Type A.)  I didn’t feel quite that way when I first began blogging, as I saw the online endeavor as a “goof” – and because I had no idea if anyone would even read my stuff.  I do care more today and I do apply the “byline” rule, so in that way, my blogging has, indeed, changed.

            I also post more consistently now versus then.  I don’t have a perfect track record and have missed a week here and there, but there aren’t any six month-long gaps as there once were.  I could still use some work in this area, as my self-motivation seems lacking when not connected to the other bloggers.  This past summer, when the blogging group took a break, I didn’t post anything.  Not one single word.  I could have written whatever I wanted on whatever topic I chose, but I didn’t feel the urge.  More than once, a topic popped into my head, and I entertained the thought of actually writing about it but, somehow, the motivation never came.  I guess I prefer the challenge of writing on a topic suggested by someone else; I suppose both as a journalist and a lawyer, I’ve always worked off of an “assignment.”  Maybe that’s just easier for me, or maybe I’m just not creative enough to think of my own topics.  I don’t know.

            Froggie did not ask us to look forward in our blogging, but as I looked back, I could not help myself.  I began thinking about how I would like to change my blogging as I go on.  I would like to publish a few of my own posts, ones not connected to my co-bloggers.  I always have a lot to say (part of my charm) – why not reduce it to electronic paper?  Occasionally, I think of a topic that isn’t necessarily right for the blog group, and I have absolutely no reason not to write about it on my own.  So, there’s one goal.

            But more than that, I’d like to be more honest in my writing.  I do try to be true and open when I write, but I have found myself avoiding certain topics out of fear of offending someone who might read the post (I truly have no idea who reads my posts unless a comment is posted).  My natural desire to avoid confrontation coupled with my hopes to never purposely offend someone has forced me to limit what I talk about at times, and I wonder whether I should ever cross that self-imposed line and talk about subjects that, to date, I’ve considered taboo.  Only time will tell, I guess.

            I truly don’t know where this blog is headed; at this moment, I don’t see much change in the pipeline.  That’s fine . . . for now.  But I am big on change, as I believe that change almost always equals growth.  For sure, had I not accepted Froggie’s invitation and joined the group, this blog never would have gone from where it was to where it is now, and that would have been a shame.  So, I can only hope that my blog continues to grow – either in subject or in frequency or both – and I hope that it turns into something that people look forward to reading.  Or, even better, something that inspires them to sit down, set up a blog, and start writing.  I promise I will read and comment, even if you’ve just shared cat photos or observations about the Kardashians.  I’m fairly certain that’s how Hemingway got started, right?