Why We Blog

I enjoy blogging. I also tend to talk to myself, always have. As MFK Fisher says in one of her books, writers tend to have an inner, yapping voice that is constantly talking. When we write, we just put that yapping on paper. Well, she said it better than that.

I have some blogging friends who weary of it. They begin for fun, they find an online community that they love, their blogging peaks with lots of readership, comments, advertising and other exciting things, and then life intervenes. Children, or work, or moving, or even crises come in, and the blogging suffers.

And the blogger wonders why she's doing it anymore. The less she posts, the fewer readers she has. She loses her motivation. She wonders if she should quit. Why is she blogging anyway? To talk to thin air?

Well, yes. That's exactly why I blog. I like to talk, and it matters little to me (I apologize, gentle readers) if anyone much is listening. Sad, but honest. Arrogant too, because I consider myself alone to be an adequate audience. Hmm. Gotta work on that.

I think blogging is not a way to help the blogger view the world. It's a way to let the world have a window into your home, your life. It's a view from the outside, in -- not the inside, out. That's the way I see it, anyway.

But for me, blogging is more like a diary. I've been keeping diaries on and off since 2nd grade. So blabbing about my days comes naturally. A diary is a labor of love, just for the sake of keeping a record, nothing else.

We do not intend for a diary to be read by others. It's for our eyes only. We do not intend fame or publication, and certainly not interaction. It's a mental exercise.

And we certainly don't expect anyone to pay us anything, for keeping a diary. We do it for ourselves. Don't you love the old, red leather on this one?

When I tire of talking to myself -- of thinking -- then I suppose I'll tire of blogging. I may slow down at times, or become less creative:  write fewer poems, cook less often, neglect my yard.  But I don't think I'll stop altogether. It's not time to close up the diary yet.

So, all you weary bloggers out there -- take a deep breath, take a week off, and give your brain time to ruminate and ferment. You'll come up with something new to tell the world. Don't pull the curtains closed on your window.