why I blog
- Author: Jamie
- Filed under: Edie, bloggy things
Feb 27,2008
Lately, I’ve been thinking that I haven’t made a “real” post lately. My entries could be considered filler to some people; just fluff. I mean, puppy pictures, Project Runway recaps, contests are mainly all I’ve had up recently. Then again, what exactly constitutes a “real” post? I know I am not the best writer. Sometimes my grammar and punctuation is off. I’m not witty and bring you to tears hilarious. I ramble on and on. Then I realize, every post I make doesn’t have to be perfect. They don’t have to be thought provoking, moving people to tears and Pulitzer worthy every time I crank one out. I suppose if that was what I did, I’d basically just be trying too hard. Let’s face it, you can totally tell when someone is forcing it. But then, there are some people who could write about the fly on the wall and make it sound beautiful without even trying, because that is just how they write.
That’s the beauty of blogging. Nothing has to be perfect. You can write what you want, no matter what it is. I don’t have a direction or a certain theme I blog about and I don’t HAVE to have one, unless I want one. I could throw haikus about Harry Potter up here one day, do a week straight of Tyra gifs, recap fucking Hannah Montana if I wanted to! Yeah, I might not have many readers, but sometimes I forget that blogging isn’t about your stats or comments. It’s definitely awesome when people take time to comment, but is that really why I started this all in the first place? Nope. It was just my outlet, my little corner of the internet to say and do whatever I want.
Don’t get me wrong, I adore my readers and those who comment but I have to tell myself, my blog doesn’t have to be shiny and happy all the time. My posts don’t always have to be award winning quality. Some people really like to find blogs that are like that and that’s totally fine. It’s just not here. My blog isn’t about anything in particular. My blog just is.
This post isn’t me begging to be validated in what I do. Or asking for you to tell me I am a great writer and the funniest person in bloggy world. It’s just me saying what I have to say.
With that, here is how my Edie slept last night. She was passed out!
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39 Responses for "why I blog"
I agree. Sometimes I feel like I have actually WRITTEN anything lately and just posted lists of recaps of my mundane weekends. However, if I feel the need to complain about people who don’t hold doors, I can, dammit, because it is MY BLOG.
And can your puppu please stop being so cute? My heart is melting.
I had to share that Im in love with your dog. And her name is super cute too. Please show me more photos of her!!
There are sometimes when I’ll have to admit that I’m almost afraid to write the truth. It can be scary to put yourself out there to the world and you’re always wondering what they’ll say or how they’ll react.
I just found your blog and I like what I read! So I think you got a good thing going. And!, your dog? Is absolutely adorable!
omg, I love you. because yes and YES. That’s exactly how I feel about it. I mean, exactly. My blog? Is not always sunshine and roses. But fuck that, neither is life. Anyone who’s got an issue with it? They can stop reading. Just like flipping the channel.
And your puppy is STILL SO FREAKING CUTE AND MAKES ME ALL SQUEALY!
I struggle with this, too. I often just don’t post because I don’t have anything to say that I can really express eloquently, or that I think would be interesting to anyone.
At least you’re posting! You’ve got me beat on that front!
And besides. That dog is freaking adorable.
Life is like blogging - sometimes all you’ve got is fluff and I think that’s ok. I think that’s actually more than ok. I like it when life is fluffy, there are plenty of times when it is so. not. fluffy. We can’t, or shouldn’t, just wait for the not fluffy stuff to come along. We should blog it all. Every little piece. Fluff is good. Long live fluff.
I get annoyed when people start whining on and on about the deteriorating quality of writing around blogland like everybody wants to be a goddamn writer. Also, they give themselves too much credit. Want to read something good? Read books. That is all.
Yummy puppy belly…..yummy, yummy puppy belly.
That’s why we’re Freaders, not READERS. We’re Friends who Read. My friends love in when I’m boring and even irritating IRL, so why would Freaders be any different? :)
All us readers are voyeurs to some degree, so we want to read whatever the hell you feel like disclosing about your life! I don’t care what it is you have to say, I love everything you write :-) (And you totally school me on Project Runway because I’ve never seen it!)
And Edie is freaking precious.
Okay first, your dog is adorable.
Second, yes. I often feel that I need to write about something substantial or fluff things up a bit because I’m afraid my blog will seem too dark or depressing if I bitch about my relationship. I find that I spend too much time thinking about what readers want more than what I want. I forget a lot that my blog is just that: MY blog. As long as I’m getting everything out and throwing it into the universe, I shouldn’t get so wrapped up in the stats-mumbo-jumbo.
Third, I love your blog. Truly.
Amen to that, Jamie!
I wish I could rub the pink puppeh belly. Edie pics are always fine by me.
you said it - blogging is great because there are no rules.
and you are the best writer ever.
ever!
While I was dating my ex, he admitted to me that he had recently been interested in another girl (as in, I think she and I overlapped). He said he had fallen for her because he was in love with her writing (http://megan-a-mess.blogspot.com — she really is quite witty). He started blogging as a result (http://listoflistlessness.blogspot.com — you can sense his pretension in every sentence). And then I started blogging (he knew where my blog was, but he never read it. I guess he just wasn’t that into me).
One day, he said something that I guess pushed my buttons in the wrong way, and I wrote this:
http://www.angelaboration.com/2007/09/poetical-parentheticals.html
(I don’t remember the entirety of that composition anymore… I just remember feeling very strongly about it at the time. My thoughts may have changed, as they are wont to do.)
I was so frustrated by the idea of people composing a blog as though it should be some form of linguistic art. That’s not what it was to me. For me (a girl who had only been blogging for a couple of weeks, at that point), it was an outlet. A place to put the jumble in my head. A way to chronicle my thoughts so that they wouldn’t vanish completely.
And some days, I’m very proud of what I write. And others… I just write what I need to write in order to make it through whatever I’m dealing with, and I don’t much care if anyone would call me a “good writer” based off of it. I don’t need an audience, but I do need to write.
He has since stopped blogging, and I have stuck with it. He said he wanted to write a novel, and I actually started writing one (I’m about 140 pages in at the moment). There are so many things that he wanted to accomplish that I actually have, and it’s because I’m not striving for perfection.
If anything, I guess I’m aiming for accuracy. ;)
There are days I don’t post because I feel like I have anything worth sharing and then I remind myself that it is all about me so I can say whatever I want! I like having a little corner of the world where I can be completely self absorbed because I can’t be in the rest of my life.
And that little pink belly?!? Too cute!
I couldn’t have said it better myself! I feel like my blog is mostly fluff too, but it’s my blog and if that’s how I like it, then it shouldn’t matter!
That’s the thing about blogging. Your blog is how you define it. And if someone doesn’t like it, they don’t have to read it. Or they can complain about it on their own blog. But, your little corner is just the way you meant it to be. It’s kind of cool and it’s why I keep up with mine. Not because I want thousands of fans to fall over my every word.
i think a lot of people have hit this wall once, twice or many many times. mine was earlier this week when i realized my comments and views were down and felt like my writing had turned to shit. then i was honest with myself and wrote a post that hides absolutely nothing, but i didn’t do it to increase traffic or comments. i wrote it for me and i’m glad that you write for you. the you that you are on any given day, the you that you are in your entirety.
god i sound so after school special right now. haha.
all very well said. write what you want. put up puppy pics as much as possible. just do it.
it all depends on what you want out of the experience, and how you want to shape your blog. there’s no rules, and that’s what makes blogging so unique.
OMG, that is adorable. I love puppy belly!
i LOVE the pink belly. it’s my favorite puppy part.
I love that you wrote about this. I get so damn tired of blogs that are obviously trying SO HARD to be eloquent and choose the best phrasing for a thought. Your honest style is so refreshing, and (I’ve always thought) a lot like mine. :) Love it, love you.
you can post all the puppeh pict0rs you want. I <3 your blog no matter what!
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I love that you wrote about this. Seriously. SERIOUSLY. Because honestly? I’ve read a few less than joyful posts from other bloggers commenting on how they don’t like reading blogs filled with lists and questions… and I really took it to heart. But my brain likes lists. I write better sometimes when I can go list- crazy. My postings have become less frequent lately because I keep thinking I need to think of something better to write.
And then I read your post and suddenly I feel so much better. Thank you, thank you, thank you Miss Jamie.
Ohh! I agree. I think I need a new puppy to cheer me up. I have felt the same on my blog. I think it’s in the air!
you have just echoed exactly how i feel…i have days when my technorati goes down and i’m like ‘ouch’. but then i realize…do i REALLY care that much? i write for me. comments are a bonus, for sure. it’s important to center yourself with all that once in a while!
I think the best thing about blogging is just putting your life, your words, your thoughts, out there. It doesn’t matter if you don’t write essays about politics, or say something deep and meaningful with each entry. Like you said - it’s your blog, so you can do what you like with it!
And readers will come, and comment, because they like what you said and are genuinely interested in your life, or you, for who you are!
Keep posting pics of Edie, she is to die for!!
that’s the most important thing - knowing why you do what you do. as long as you know why you’re blogging, that’s all that matters for enjoying it. :)
I’m also a new reader. And I love what I’ve found!
And thanks for this post. It’s really been a wake up call. Sometimes I write funny posts and I get a huge response and then feel like I have to stay that way for people to come back…but it’s my space. My place to say what I want be it interestiong to the rest of the world or not. So thanks for this! :)
It really isn’t about stats and comments and I forget that too sometimes.
Your puppy is soooo cute! I just want to kiss that cute belly! *mwha!*
Ummmmm….Tyra Banks AND puppies? What more are people looking for in a blog?
I love this blog! I also scanned through your archives and your puppy is adorable too!!! This is my new favorite blog!! :)
I, for one, enjoy reading your blog. I definitely understand this post; I feel like that quite a bit and I forget what it’s about. Thank you for the reminder =)
P.S. Lincoln (my 9 month old puppy) sleeps like that too! I think it’s so cute.
I agree too. Blogs don’t have to be all serious and deep and “real” all the time. There’s no quote of like two “real” posts, one funny post, one photo post, and one fluff post per week. It’s just whatever you feel like talking about.
Also: GOD I love your dog.
what is cuter, puppy paws or puppy belly? you see I JUST DONT KNOW.
I actually started blogging to “write” and sometimes I really try, but most of the time I’m a rambling mess. And I like it enough to keep it going so there!
Get in my belly! :D
You blog about whatever you want - and whenever you want for that matter!
(For the record, you could post a week’s worth of Tyra gifs and I’d still be sitting here laughing my ass off, so I’m an easily pleased commenter.) :P
Are you me? I could have written this post. Perhaps we were seperated at birth.
The thing about Blogging is, it seems to take on a life of its own. And while a lot of people who read may not be “real” friends, they get to know you from the inside out and share in your life. And sometimes, life is about “nothing” and having nothing to say. But it’s great because just like “real friends”, you just want to hang out and not talk. And you keep being friends anyway. Those can be the best times.
So don’t worry about not being profound or hilarious or “deep” all the time. Just go with it - people like you and they like all the sides of you.
I’ve been feeling weird about my blog lately. Like I as time goes on I care a lot less about my blog and more about the friendships I’m forming with other bloggers. I can’t figure out whether it’s a good or bad thing :-/
Tyra and Edie and Hannah sound like the recipe for a perfect blog for me, too!
I agree that it’s sometimes difficult to keep “why we blog” in perspective. i began blogging just to keep a journal and practice writing on random topics. I always have to remind myself to calm down when I start to get obsessed with what my content looks like!
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