I'm having to remind myself that I'm writing this for me, not for some putative "you". Certainly, readers are a bonus (yes, you! you're a bonus!), but not the raison d'etre. Recognition for writing is like what John Candy's character said in the movie Cool Runnings,
"A gold medal is a wonderful thing. But if you're not good enough without it, then you'll never be good enough with it."The ironic thing, though? Just as I started thinking about this issue, coming to terms with the commentlessness of my last post? Someone commented, at that very moment. (Hi! Welcome! Thanks for the comment!) Isn't the universe funny?
Besides, I can always imagine an audience that is vast and admiring, but not commenting!
And, to be serious for one moment, not commenting is perfectly fine. I'm not playing for sympathy here. If readers want to comment, have something to say, and choose to say it in a public forum, type on. And if not, so be it. I can live with that.
Meanwhile, here's what I've come up with for a blog version of a business card. (Why? Well, why not?) Seriously, because I thought of it and for the fun of it. Why else do anything? It was fun to play with. It looks better printed on "ivory", or beige, cards, than on the white background here, but the world is an imperfect place.
We are out there - some of us read, but don't usually comment.
ReplyDeleteyour blog is great for an old friend to see what's going on in your life...
I agree about old friends reading your blog! And I feel differently than you do about my blog's readers -- I do always have them in mind, and enjoy growing a readership of interesting people. Certainly I write for myself, but I do try to censor out my more boring and self-indulgent posts. I suppose I'm trying to say that I always have an audience in mind, and I write that way very much by choice. I actively enjoy writing for my little audience of interesting people from all over.
ReplyDeleteJen
I know just what you mean - the first time someone commented on my blog, I was amazed anyone looks at it besides my sister and best friend. But it is important to remember the real reason we started them, because often people who do read won't comment - or came to read once and aren't interested in coming back to read my ramblings or see my sister and my knitting!
ReplyDeleteThat said, I do read, I just don't always comment =)
Do new friends count? I enjoy your style and your content but sometimes, I just dont have a blessed thing to say except..."thanks for writing."
ReplyDeleteGreat card! And thanks for reminding me I've gotta make some blog ones, too, as well as the others. ;)
ReplyDeleteI found a dichotomy with myself during recent events. Readers are wonderful, and I do love comments. But as well as missing everyone online during the computer outage, I really, really missed my blogging. Yet somehow, while I don't write purely for readers, it's just not as satisfying writing a journal on my computer when I know it's not going anywhere - even if I never knew if someone would read it. I tried, but couldn't write a lick on it when I was offline, which was silly; I could've used them as canned entries like a columnist, right? Yet I didn't. But once with access again, wham, I could write!
Weird. So do I need to write or not? Was it the depression? Of course, I've been puzzling that sort of thing since getting blocked on writing fanfic after my husband died... But that's another story. ;) Good on ya for writing, no matter what. Whatever the reason is, I figure if it gets us to write, it's good.