So here I am again, attempting yet another jumpstart of a blogging habit that has fizzled out with my previous attempts. Sure, I can blame my usual excuse for not writing: the responsibilities and obligations of life intruding and keeping me from seducing my muse.
But I can’t help but wonder if part of the reason is because I still–even now–find blogging masturbatory and self-important.
Obviously, I can’t deny or ignore the myriad merits of blogging. Blogs have given writers from all walks of life with varying degrees of talent a venue to reach an audience as narrow or as wide as they want. A writer’s paradise previously unknown. And readers have benefitted as much as writers–if not more.
Contemplating this made me wonder, of course, what it is that I could write about, what contribution I can make. What unique perspective I can offer that might be of value–even if only to a handful of readers.
One of my initial thoughts was that I could write about my experience as a dad managing my household of three kids (two of whom are teenagers) by myself. So I started reading and researching parenting blogs written by fathers. And while I appreciated most of what I read, I was a little disappointed–but not too surprised, unfortunately–to find that even parenting blogs didn’t seem to be immune from the back-and-forth bickering that characterizes many online interactions. Though, to be fair, that kind of sniping was overwhelmingly far more the exception than the rule–and, in fact, parenting blogs seemed to be part of a supportive and productive online community. The ideal, in my opinion.
Still… I couldn’t get past my original assessment of blogging: how masturbatory it seemed.
And that led to my latest revelation.
Which is that maybe that’s the point of blogging. At least to some degree.
That maybe the act of typing out some of my own thoughts, musings, and observations might help me declutter my seemingly perpetually cluttered brain.
And the mere exercise of writing something—anything–could help me feel more productive and provide me with a sense of accomplishment. And even be therapeutic.
So here I go again.
Wish me luck–