Back from my blog break
I've been on a little break from blogging. Actually, I had some technical difficulties getting onto my posting site but it's all good now. This two week break has changed my perspective somewhat on this whole blogging thing. Besides keeping up with other nor cal blogs being posted, I took the time to read back over a lot of what I have written during the past several months and I realized a few sharp contrasts between my blogs and everyone else's. For one thing, most of the folks on this site stick to one particular theme while I seem to be all over the place. Sticking to a consistent theme is probably better in some ways because you are predictable in your subject matter and that probably gives the blogger a more consistent following of readers. When you are all over the map like I am, somebody may find interest in something you wrote one day and then wonder where the hell your coming from the next. This can't be too savvy for developing a solid group of readers.
You could make the case that writers who stick to a consistent theme are more focused and disciplined in their writing, and I wouldn't argue with that. But I like the variety. I like to write according to my mood. If I get angry about an issue, I will write about politics. If I feel reflective about my life, I write about life. If I feel goofy, I try to write something humorous. That's the beauty of it all! We are all doing what we want to do, nobody is telling any of us what to write about. I'm sure that every blogger has their own personal reason for why they are writing about the things they are. For me it's just fun, a creative outlet. I'm not trying to convert anybody to my personal beliefs nor do I care how many readers I get each month. I'm just happy to have this opportunity to express.
In reading over my old material, I have noticed another interesting trend. It seems that when I express a strong opinion, I usually get more comments. A blog on politics will usually get a comment (more like an intellectual challenge!) but the life stories and humor blogs don't seem to attract as much attention. I'm not sure why that is....just something I've noticed. So if you are one of the few people that read my stuff often, I would ask one thing of you. Try to separate my sarcasm and humor from the serious stuff. I like to do a little bit of it all and sometimes folks take me serious when I'm just having some fun. Maybe that's a price to be paid for writing wherever the wind takes you.
Speaking of wind, years ago I played in a band called "Windy Day". I know, that's a real seventies name, but it was a real seventies band. We played and sang all original songs. Now as a musician, and I think I am speaking for most musicians here, sometimes when we played there would be a full house and sometimes most people weren't listening, they were too busy talking and stuff. But there would be one, or two, or three people that were locked into what you were doing, and you knew they "got" your music, you could just tell. And those were the people we would play for. Any band would rather play to five people who are "locked in" than to play for 200 who could care less or weren't paying attention. That's kind of how I see this blogging thing to be. That's why the numbers don't really matter. Besides being a creative outlet, it's awesome when somebody "gets you" and even if it's just one or two people, well that's just icing on the cake of expression!