For the Love of Blog

I have come to a realization: in order to be a successful blogger, you have to blog for the love of blog. Doing it as a professional development exercise doesn’t work. Guilting yourself into it out of loyalty to your readers (Hi Alison!) doesn’t work. You have to find rewards in the process itself. It’s like writing that way. Perhaps this is obvious to some people — it only took me, um, six months to get there. This is hard won wisdom, guys!

This realization reminds me of when I started online dating. My first profile was so obviously reluctant, making it clear that I wasn’t comfortable with the process of putting myself out there, that I got very few responses. Then I figured it out, revamped my self presentation, and met my husband. Again, basic writing lessons apply: in order to make it as a freelance writer, you have to match your content and voice to the task at hand. Ecce signum.

Share this with your people:
  • Print this article!
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • Twitter
  • E-mail this story to a friend!
  • Fark
  • LinkedIn
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • Tumblr
  • Yahoo! Bookmarks

5 Responses to For the Love of Blog

  1. ggw_bach says:

    ya, agreed. If it doesn’t come from within, from passion, its hard to move your readers enough for them to stick with you. Blog about what you love.

    and there’s no need to post daily either; in the end, quality wins out.

    good luck on your journey. Finding your original voice is one of the most difficult things to do in these cookie-cutter times.

  2. nancyrawlinson says:

    Thanks for the encouragement! My father just got back from a trip around India with the same message: go towards what you love. It will never lead you astray. A simple message that’s somehow easy to forget.

  3. rainraine says:

    Good evening! I’m Lorraine, a fourth year graduating college student. I’m currently doing a thesis on online relationships/dating. I read on your entry that you once joined an online dating site. I was wondering if I could interview you online regarding this. You will be kept anonyous and the interview will be kept cofidential.

    Hoping for your kind reply…
    -Lorraine

  4. Shawn says:

    Yes! Modernist blogging: blogging for blogging’s sake.

  5. nancyrawlinson says:

    @Lorraine — I’d be happy to talk to you if you’d take the trouble of tracking down my email address and sending me a proper request, telling me a bit more about your project. Throwing out a request in a blog comment just seems kinda…half-hearted.

    @Shawn — you make it sounds so…empty. What I meant was: if you do not enjoy building a kind of self-presentation based on cross-links, sharing gossipy details, personal information, and minutia, then blogging probably isn’t the medium for you. I’m still working out exactly how to present myself and my thoughts this way so that it feels authentic, like a true reflection of me, but still fits the medium. It’s a work in progress.

Leave a Reply

Name and Email Address are required fields. Your email will not be published or shared with third parties.