Welcome to the first week of the #12weekblog posts. If
you’re wondering what that is, it’s a group of bloggers who are all writing
about the same topic every week. The prompts are sent out on Monday’s and you
have all week to write. Want to join in? Comment on the original post and I’ll
get you set up to start!
The prompt for this week:
Why
did you start blogging? What have you gained from it since you started? (Or
what do you hope to gain from it)?
I
started blogging because I wanted to gain fame and fortune. I wanted people all
over the Internet to know my name and herald me as the most amazing
writer/blogger out there. I wanted to make tons of money off my sponsored blogs
and get huge companies to send me crap to review. I hope you realize I’m chuckling
to myself as I type this. Ain’t no way any of that’s happening…nor did I ever
expect it to.
I
started blogging because I love writing, first and foremost. And I had gotten
very academic about my writing – it was as if I was writing for work or for
publication most of the time and that bored me. I have started at least 10
journals. I find them in random spots of the house, two pages written on and
then neglected. I saw some blogs from friends and from companies I liked and
thought, “Hey, I can type faster than I can talk so maybe online journaling or
blogging may be better.” So I started blogging.
Initially
I was just going to write about parenting and environmentalism in the home
because I figured I may have something to offer that “community” (of environmentalist
parents). But then I started adding in other topics such as hobbies (like
cooking and running) and realized those were about parenting too – you have to
(HAVE TO) have something else going on in your life if you’re a parent or you
will go insane (or more insane than you already are). Or you’ll be that creepy
parent who has nothing to talk about but their kids, and everyone avoids them
because they don’t want to hear another word about your damned kids.
What
have I gained from blogging since I started? Two things: an outlet for my
writing and a new perspective on blogging. If you read through my stuff you’ll
see that it’s completely random topic-wise, especially within the past month.
And if you’re wondering why the plethora of posts in the past month, I
attribute that to the second thing I’ve gained: perspective on blogging. For a
year I would come up with these ideas to write on and I’d think, “Nobody cares
about that. Nobody wants to read that.” And I’d scrap the idea and wouldn’t
post for-ev-er and nobody seemed to care and it was all good (except I didn’t
have a writing outlet). Then I realized something. This is my blog. It’s my
space. Readers can choose to read or not to. I have no control over that. If
people thought I was posting too often or writing about things they didn’t care
about, they could unfollow me or stop getting emails about new posts. Meh. But
for the people who stayed (and most did), I can tell you I value your input and
your support. I really do. Part of the enjoyment I get from blogging is meeting
new people who are interested in what I’m interested in.
How did other #12weekblog Challenge participants answer this
prompt? Check out Lisa’s and John’s work below when they send me their links.
Want to participate? Let me know!
John's post - Why I write from his blog Like It Matters
Lisa's post - On writing, or blogging as it were... from her blog Mama is a She-Wolf
John's post - Why I write from his blog Like It Matters
Lisa's post - On writing, or blogging as it were... from her blog Mama is a She-Wolf
