All About Blogging

I've only had my blog up since September of last year - it's still a baby, really. In this entry, I want to re-visit my initial reasons for starting the blog. And to encourage those who are thinking about it to jump on in. The water is fine!

The conception of my baby blog was a combination of things, really. I'd visited a hilarious blog of a good friend of mine, Becky. And I saw that she could have fun with it, could make me think, and could make me laugh. Shortly thereafter, I saw the movie Julie and Julia. I was underwhelmed with the movie itself, but LOVED the idea of a blog. Of someone having an idea and starting something from scratch. And for the first time, the notion hit me, "Hey, maybe I could do something like that."

The wheels in my head started turning, and I asked myself what I could possibly blog about. I'm not a good cook (like Julie), and I didn't really want a strictly-personal blog (I'm a little shy online, with people I don't know -- hence, no use of my last name, even now). But what I did know about was writing. Creative writing. I've taught creative writing courses for 6 years, and have been writing (mostly novels) for over a decade. I've been to numerous writing conferences, joined a writers' association, and had the experience of researching, submitting to (and being rejected by) literary agents. I've been in the trenches, waiting on agent responses, re-writing and re-submitting, and yes, seeing my fair share of "thanks, but no thanks" letters.

So, my blogging purpose was established. I knew I would focus my blog on writing - sharing both my personal writing journey and the wealth of information that others had taught to me throughout the years. And that was it. I asked Becky a few questions, did a bit of research, and dove right in - I was up and running in one afternoon and I haven't looked back since.

For anyone out there who's ever contemplated starting a blog, here's a great article - Now What?

Blogging can be addictive - but in a good way. And even if your readership is, say, petite - just putting your ideas "out there," into cyberspace, is quite exhilarating. I'm so glad I made the decision to blog all those months ago. I don't know if it's something I'll do forever (I always worry about running out of ideas), but as long as I enjoy it, and as long as there are readers to read, I'll stick with it.