Recent conversations with two different people uncovered their feelings of awkwardness when reading blogs. I was asked by one, “why do you blog? Why do you share these things about yourself with the entire world, but not me?” Another said, “I just wish she wouldn’t write that kind of stuff. It’s too personal.” I know that some people feel as if we bloggers share too much with the world, and that perhaps we are exposing too much of our intimate selves with complete strangers. The question becomes, aren’t you afraid people might percieve you differently? And, if you are willing to expose yourself like this to just anyone, where do I stand when it comes to knowing you intimately?
As a writer, I know its inevitable my stuff may at some point a) offend someone, b) enlighten someone, c) make some feel awkward or d) all of the above. Hopefully d). But I will settle with e) any of the above. I can’t explain the way we writer’s are, but if I, as a writer avoid words screaming to be said because I am afraid I may make someone feel uneasy, well…then I suck.
In this modern age, when family is scattered all over the place, blogging actually brings us closer to one another allowing us to remain in touch with our loved ones. For me, blogging is a way to share with my family and friends what’s going on in my personal bubble. For instance, I haven’t seen my little brother, Shane, in about two years. A lot has happened in that time for both of us and if he can’t call me, or if he wishes to sneak a peak without feeling as if he is interrupting bath time or dinner or whatever, he can just log on and read all about it. I wish Shane had a blog.
*Shane, start a blog. There are many free sites, like Blogger.com …or there is wordpress.com, which provides really cool graphical templates, more appealing to the Xers/Yers. I think I may transfer everything over there eventually…*
Blogging, for all of its exposure to the world, is really a personal thing. I am a writer. While writing is about creation and the deep-seeded need to express, it also takes practice. And for some (me!), it takes a lot of practice. Good writers just don’t pick up a pen and crank out The Great American Novel. Blogging allows me to prime the pump. At this point in my life, if I didn’t blog, I wouldn’t be getting much practice.
Blogging also helps to keep me in check. I don’t presume to have a huge audience, but if there are folks out there who actually read my blog, I hope they can see the real me. If I lie about something, someone may call bull shit. We writers live with the hope that someone will ultimately read our stuff, and if we can not be honest with our craft~whether made up or not (and you are a writer if you know what I mean!) ~ then what is the point?
I used to write all the time in a good old fashioned, leather-bound (private!) journal. It’s where my mornings began, the night ended and many a glass of wine was enjoyed. It’s where I collected story starts, journal entries, and other musings. I believed that the only way to get to the bones was to put pen in hand and connect it to paper…from brain to hand to pen to paper…. a direct hotline to the soul. Turns out writing online is more convenient, I can type faster than I print and am less prone to wrist pain. And blogging is perfect for my ADD tendencies; if I have a spark of inspiration, I can immediately Alt+Ctl to toggle between screens. Voila! I am instantly researching the topic without losing my blogpage.
So, there are many reasons I choose to blog. Back to the question at hand: blogging or face-time? Relationships are based on trust and understanding and communication. Real-life relationships are what give us writers the sustenance and support to do what we love. When it comes to intimacy, I will take the face time, hands down, over blogging any day! Just understand that I may blog about the facetime later. 
