Return to Blogging

Last year, when I started querying agents, I stopped blogging regularly. I started editing my online self, worried that potential agents — and then editors — would be turned off by my (more than occasional) bouts of insecurity or silliness. If I posted about World of Warcraft too much, would they think I wasn’t taking my writing seriously? If I liked a movie that they hated, would they think twice about my manuscript? This self-shut down wasn’t a conscious decision, but something I only came to recognize after the fact.

Well, I’m done with that.

I miss blogging about my everyday life, and even worse, I find that I’m a less observant, less self-aware person when I’m not regularly assessing my experiences. Sure, I write in my paper journal, but those entries can sometimes be one long string of obscenities, or worse, page after page of to-do lists where the items never get checked off.

Blogging gives me regular practice at observing the world, parsing my reactions to what I’ve seen, and trying to communicate those feelings or experiences to an audience. Even if no one reads my posts, I get that practice all the same.

So here’s my goal: get back to blogging like I used. I want to write about whatever mundane subject strikes my fancy, be it hockey fandom or running or a TV show or the latest antics of my cats. Heck, I can even write about writing if I want. As long as I’m actively observing the world and myself, anything’s game.

I don’t want to use social media to garner followers or network or create a brand (although it’s totally okay if you do!), I want to use it to examine, reveal, and grow my authentic self — in all its neurotic, geeky glory.*

* Although my absolute favorite aspect of social media is how it helps me stay in touch with the people I love, helps me make new friends, and helps us all share our lives.