As you know, I usually post to this blog on Thursday or Friday. Yesterday I posted to my other blog, PoemRelish, for the first time (shamefully!) in months, so please do go over to it and take a look. http://PoemRelish.blogspot.com Remember, PoemRelish isn't about my own poems, which, dear readers, I won't inflict on you - it's where I can talk about the poems that I love - without having to set an A level essay question on them! It's about sharing the pleasure of words and perhaps drawing your attention to poems you might not have otherwise discovered.
Once again, I find myself celebrating the very concept of blogging. Yes, there is the danger of reporting trivial minutiae all the time and there is the risk of being totally self-focussed, self-obsessed, self-aggrandising. But the one thing that I have always loved about it is, as Mel Gibson bellows in that well-known hokum version of Scots history, 'Braveheart', 'FREEDOMMMM!!!' As a blogger you write as and when you wish and how you wish and about any topic you please. What could be better? I'm going through a pretty tough time with regard to my own writing and I can't tell you what a comfort it is to have this blog - and this communication with some lovely people whom I've never met personally but who take the time to post comments, who are witty and fun, who are sympathetic and whose blogs lead one in turn to discover yet more writerly blogs, some of which are absolutely brilliant: sparky, feisty, moving, informative, self-deprecating - and all of which reassure us in this desperate writing community we all inhabit, because they tell us we're all in this together. We share the ups and downs, we congratulate success, we nag and encourage, we condole with the distress of rejection and self-doubt. We're in a community - which for writers who are apt to pace the floor or stare at a blank page with an even blanker mind, who can be isolated even within their circle of friends and family because no one understands what they do, no one comprehends the hunger to create, is absolutely crucial. We're each others' comfort blankets. Aw. Time to wheel on Tiny Tim to say 'God Bless us, one and all'!
4 comments:
A couple of years ago, I was writing on my own. I had no idea about blogs and would probably have sneered at them. Then I dipped a toe in, joined The Novel Racers group and met other writers. It spiralled from there to meet other writers and other bloggers and I can honestly say, not only has it helped my writing and kept me going, it's also enhanced my life. May sound a bit dramatic, but it's true. I've made good friends, met some of them in real life and have had nothing but support, practical help and a good bit of banter along the way.
So ... I entirely agree. Three cheers:-)
Yes, three cheers for blogs. I'm fairly new to Blog Land and I'm loving writing my own and discovering those of others. I'm chuffed to bits now that I've started to get comments on my blog as I love writing it but, until recently, I thought maybe no-one was reading it. Blogs are a great way of finding like-minded people to chat to.
So yes, Three Big Cheers for blogging.
I agree. I only started a year ago, but like Lane find it's enhanced my writing and my life, as daft as it sounds! I was very much writing into a void before and having feedback, or just being able to have a rant, or see what other writerly people are up to is reassuring, fun and inspiring.
Without a doubt I wouldn't have sold the stories I have this year without the invaluable feedback I've had, so it's a big YAY all round! I'm looking forward to meeting some bloggers in real life one day :o)
Lane - I've come to your blog via Karen's and really enjoy it and the Novel Racers blog too. The connections we make through blogs are really positive and it's weird how often I feel as if I've actually met the people whose blogs I'm reading. I think this happens because the voices ring true and it's like having a chat with someone you've known for years. Blogs do seem to encourage people to be relaxed and open with each other. Anything's better than the Loneliness of the Long Distance Writer! :-)
Jean - Good to meet you in the Blogosphere and very good luck with your book!
Karen - Yay indeed! See my comments to Lane. I've been reading your blog for months now and feel you're like an old friend! Whenever you've commented on Literascribe, my younger son spots it and shouts 'It's KAREN!!' (this is because your name appears in capital letters!). Hope you've got over the dreadful cold now. :-)
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