Who Is It For?
In an attempt to keep this post from becoming too petty or feisty, I am taking a bit of a step back and look objectively at something that has become a frustration for me.
I really love writing and for a while I have been posting here on my blog so that I can share my thoughts with "the world". The frustration is that many of my recent posts have fell short in the readership category. Many people have come to me and expressed their appreciation for some of these posts so the dramatic drop in statistics was quite confusing. In thinking about this, I ended up taking some of my writing off line and began focusing on one question.
Who is it for?
When I write, there is a supreme satisfaction that I have within myself for the words I compose and the posts I build. There is an excitement to see my thoughts appear on my less-than-professional page that, flaws and all, is a place of pride for me. But also, I hold some investment in the responses of the masses. I share the link to each post on Facebook and secretly crave "likes", "comments", and "shares".
It seems as though there is a shared investment, or at least desired investment, when it comes to my words. But here is the thing, why should a lack of viewers or readers keep me from doing what I love? Why should I fear rejection when I still receive joy and pleasure from the process of putting it all together?
This is for me.
I write for me. Writing has been a part of my life for a very long time. Writing is something I would constantly turn to as a way to pass the time. When I was a child, I could often be found pulling out an encyclopedia and writing up random reports on States and Countries. The writing evolved to a few failed starts to fun little stores that I wanted to turn into novels and then went even further to outlines of academic papers. Finally my writing found its way to the blog posts that now lie available on this very screen that you are looking at.
I still love this type of writing and also continue some random fictions stories in my personal archives so why would I ever allow the inaction of others to take that away from me.
I am more than what other people define me to be. I am a writer no matter what and one says or how much anyone reads it. My art may not be widespread but it brings me widespread joy. If you are finding yourself reading this, thank you for indulging me. If you feel inclined, you are welcomed to share my posts with friends and family.
And so I continue to write. Not for the friends and family that read this but for me. Any enjoyment of others is done at the risk of the reader. At your risk. I definitely hope it is enjoyable but even if it is not, that's not the point.
You live your life. You do what makes you happy. Don't let others define what makes you happy. Don't let a digital world determine your personal accomplishment.
At this point I feel this post getting wordy. My rambling means its time to wrap it up. No it's not the typical post but the overall message is this: There is more to come. I wont stop writing. Ever.
I really love writing and for a while I have been posting here on my blog so that I can share my thoughts with "the world". The frustration is that many of my recent posts have fell short in the readership category. Many people have come to me and expressed their appreciation for some of these posts so the dramatic drop in statistics was quite confusing. In thinking about this, I ended up taking some of my writing off line and began focusing on one question.
Who is it for?
When I write, there is a supreme satisfaction that I have within myself for the words I compose and the posts I build. There is an excitement to see my thoughts appear on my less-than-professional page that, flaws and all, is a place of pride for me. But also, I hold some investment in the responses of the masses. I share the link to each post on Facebook and secretly crave "likes", "comments", and "shares".
It seems as though there is a shared investment, or at least desired investment, when it comes to my words. But here is the thing, why should a lack of viewers or readers keep me from doing what I love? Why should I fear rejection when I still receive joy and pleasure from the process of putting it all together?
This is for me.
I write for me. Writing has been a part of my life for a very long time. Writing is something I would constantly turn to as a way to pass the time. When I was a child, I could often be found pulling out an encyclopedia and writing up random reports on States and Countries. The writing evolved to a few failed starts to fun little stores that I wanted to turn into novels and then went even further to outlines of academic papers. Finally my writing found its way to the blog posts that now lie available on this very screen that you are looking at.
I still love this type of writing and also continue some random fictions stories in my personal archives so why would I ever allow the inaction of others to take that away from me.
I am more than what other people define me to be. I am a writer no matter what and one says or how much anyone reads it. My art may not be widespread but it brings me widespread joy. If you are finding yourself reading this, thank you for indulging me. If you feel inclined, you are welcomed to share my posts with friends and family.
And so I continue to write. Not for the friends and family that read this but for me. Any enjoyment of others is done at the risk of the reader. At your risk. I definitely hope it is enjoyable but even if it is not, that's not the point.
You live your life. You do what makes you happy. Don't let others define what makes you happy. Don't let a digital world determine your personal accomplishment.
At this point I feel this post getting wordy. My rambling means its time to wrap it up. No it's not the typical post but the overall message is this: There is more to come. I wont stop writing. Ever.
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