Ambition, Anxiety, Blogging, Curiosity, Fear, Irony, Overthinking, Self-Reflection, SocialAnxiety

This Time I Have a Question For You

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Why do you blog?

Let me explain where this question comes from.

My blogging anxiety these days is hitting an all-time high. I started a series, here, the 4th installment of what you are reading now, entitled “I Have Questions”. I’m terrible at promoting myself but I know it’s part of the deal if I want to grow my following and make something more of this blogging thing. In that spirit, here’s the first, second, and third post in my series.

I fear I may have inadvertently set myself up for failure by starting this series. It came from a good and curious place, but I didn’t think it through. Questions? We all have questions, right? What those questions are can’t be forced, which is what I’ve been struggling with. Which I think is ridiculous.

I published a post in March of 2021, when I was working still. It was about why I blog. And I missed some things in that post. I didn’t go deep enough.

It’s still true that I blog for the connections I make and the things I learn along the way in the blogosphere. And yes, I still blog because the feedback I often get is validating and gives me warm fuzzies.

I now have more followers than I did then so it seemed right to me to ponder the question again, with the hope that you will all join in. Posing this question now also gives me an opportunity to tell you all, from my heart, why I have kept this up.

The primary reason I blog, or more specifically, write, is because it’s much more comfortable for me to find the words and write them out than it is for me to find the words and use my voice to speak them out loud. Especially when I have a lot to say, which you all know I do.

When I was younger and had an argument with someone, often I’d be so upset that all I could do was cry. I couldn’t form the words or turn off the tears easily. So I would grab a notebook and write it all out. Sometimes I’d craft it into a letter that I’d give to the person who had upset me so. Often the act of writing it down had to be enough because I believed sharing it with them would not be welcome or understood.

While I love being around people and having meaningful conversations, it gives me a lot of anxiety. I feel embarrassed if others eyes are on me, which results in me tripping over or mispronouncing words, or I freeze mid-sentence and lose whatever train of thought I was riding on. Writing is easier. No one is looking at me while I do it, waiting for me to get to the damn point already.

I recognize the irony here, however. The irony of being so self-conscious when conversing with others that I don’t show up as well as I want to; yet here I am, telling so much of my business on the internet where literally anyone can see it. And judge me.

Maybe I’m crazy. Probably. Because I’m sticking with the blogging thing, including my “I Have Questions” series.

It still feels right to me.

So, again, I ask: why do you blog?

13 thoughts on “This Time I Have a Question For You”

  1. Isn’t that interesting that when we blog, we are literally putting so much that we often don’t say out loud out in the blogosphere? And this community is gracious enough to be gentle with it?

    I’m going to borrow something that Vicki responded to my post this morning with. It’s a quote from C.S. Lewis: “I do not sit down at my desk to put into verse something that is already clear in my mind. If it were clear in my mind, I should have no incentive or need to write about it. We do not write in order to be understood; we write in order to understand.” Isn’t that great?

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  2. I blog because I like and believe in the power of human connection. I love the opportunity to get to know other people across the globe who I wouldn’t have met otherwise. About a year ago, I took a trip back east and met two of my longtime blogging friends in person.

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    1. Me too, Pete! I believe the connections we make both in the blogosphere and IRL are what feed us and keep us going. I would love to meet blogger friends IRL too. Thanks for your comments!

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  3. Sometimes I blog to share stories. Other times I blog to work something out in my mind or to get something off my chest. For the longest time, my blog was my journal, but lately I’ve been writing in a private journal because I don’t feel comfortable putting these feelings out there. Having a second journal has really complicated my decision about what to put where; I now have blog posts in limbo in Notepad documents on my desktop, which I guess could be considered a third, messier journal.

    I guess what it comes down to is this: I write because I have to. If I’m in a sharing mood, I put it on my blog.

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    1. I get you, Nicole. My draft folders are a hot mess, with half baked posts and a portion of more private thoughts (which sometimes end up in blog posts). The act of writing is so cathartic at times and gratifying always. Thanks for commenting.

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  5. I blog for too many reasons. This concerns me a bit because many bloggers seem to have a singular focus – photography, politics, positivity, or they join a community and have a ‘theme’ of the day… But I need to do my own thing. I don’t feel nervous about blogging. I feel it’s a special privilege and I’m happy to have a space to share what’s on my radar. I don’t feel pressured to please or entertain anyone, or fit into a schedule.
    I blog to capture memories for my grandbabies. I blog because I want to have a voice. I blog because I think the world can be better and one way to find out if anyone else thinks the same as me, is to put my thoughts out there. I blog because the world is a beautiful place, and everyone should know how truly amazing it is. I blog to share what’s in my world, because I love when others share their world with me. I blog about what feels right to me… 😊
    Also That’s my favorite Prince song! ❤️ My best friend and I used to sing it often.

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    1. I love this, Rose! Those are all great reasons to blog. I also have worried that I don’t have a “niche” but the bottom line for me is that I don’t want to be pigeon holed into just one category. We have personal blogs, right? And sharing our worlds and perspectives with each other is a beautiful thing.

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      1. Well, sort of. Been busy. I’m about to head out to see my dad. He’s back in the hospital. I may be bringing him home with me today, though. Trying to get through to his nurse. I did manage to put out a new post today while I’m waiting to hear back, though. So, there’s that.

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