Keeping a Blog

I'm terrible about keeping a blog. 

It's not about the motivation to write daily: I have the motivation and have done daily writing in the past. The problem with daily blogging is that I struggle to talk about myself, and any blog is boring if the blogger doesn't open herself up to discussion of personal interests and internal struggles.

A writer who wants to sell a book ultimately needs to be concerned with getting to know the readers, and letting the readers get to know her. I wonder sometimes if this means the boring details (such as what I hate for dinner [kielbasa]) or whether it's the deep down musings of the heart that people most often write about in journals and diaries.

How much am I willing to share?

Photo courtesy Erin Kohlenburg CC BY 2.0

Honestly, I'm not sure yet. Blogging isn't good practice for the real thing. No matter how often someone tells you that keeping a blog will enhance your writing and make you a more worthy writer, this is a myth. I've personally discovered that the more that I blog or participate in literate role play, the more I struggle to find my voice and to write with passion and purpose.

Sharing is frightening for me. When I put myself on the line, I have suffered harassment by someone I can't identify speaking on behalf of someone I used to know, and there is always the question of how much I can say without inviting this sort of harassment and stalking. If I talk about how I'm feeling, sometimes I'm told that I'm "bending the truth" about who I am. If I talk about what I'm doing, then I risk letting people into my life who I might not want there. You can see my conundrum, I'm sure.

I want to be honest with my readers, and to build a relationship with the people who may one day read my novel(s), so my commitment to you is to do my best to share myself with you. Comment moderation is turned on on this blog, which means that I need to approve all comments, and that I won't be approving any comments that are libelous or which attempt to reveal my personal information without my consent. 

Everything else will be published, even if I disagree with it!

Here's to blogging!