“How do you feel about blogging?” Barbara Bos asked yesterday in the Facebook group Women Writers, Women’s Books that I belong to.
That got me thinking. Then it occurred to me that January is my blogging anniversary, and I almost didn’t notice! It’s been six years since I started blogging.
So, how do I feel about blogging after six years?
Comfortable.
It has become such an ingrained part of my life that I don’t mark the time anymore, and I really don’t work towards specific blogging goals either, although I do often think I should post more often. The past two years I averaged one post a week, and I would like to get back to a twice a week rhythm but that hasn’t happened yet and who knows, with my book coming out it might be good to blog more, or I might end up writing more for other venues. In any case, I am certain that I will keep blogging. It just is such a nice outlet for those little observations, appreciations and insights that don’t make fully fledged essays, and it is so important to me that I made sure the blog is front and center in my website redesign (coming soon!).
Thankful.
My blog provides the space for me to showcase my photography, and I owe it entirely to my blog that I’ve become a photographer and writer whose photo essays get published. I began my blog six years ago as a way to have a web presence as an author, and it quickly grew beyond that. I also am so thankful that my blog connects me with my readers. A post is only alive to me if it receives comments; and often ideas for new posts, and other articles have come from those interactions. So thank you, blog readers and commenters!
Settled.
It took me a while to settle into my blogging voice, and to this day I sometimes have a hard time articulating what my blog is about, but I always know when something that strikes me or moves me is good for a blog post. It is important to realize that blogging is its own thing, different from writing articles or essays, different from Facebook or Instagram posts, different from tweets. I struggled with this when I decided to put out a newsletter. What should go into the newsletter and what should be on the blog? For a while I feared that the newsletter would supplant the blog, and I also didn’t want to simply regurgitate in the newsletter what I had already blogged about. But, after doing the newsletter for a while, I learned that the newsletter is also its own medium. Short, more personal insights work there, as do book recommendations, while showcasing my photography only makes sense on the blog.
As the world of social media continues to evolve, I’m sure there is more to learn and I’m all for that. Here’s to many more years of blogging!