Is the blog thing beginning to become yesterday's thing? Burningbird is questioning the whys and wherefores. Real Live Preacher, an insightful blog I read often, decided to shut down for a while. In both of these, there was a feeling that our blog selves had begun to demand more time at the tiller than our real selves. Two blogs don't exactly constitute a movement, but I don't read that many, and two is a significant percentage of that group. Maybe I just read tired bloggers. But Loren at In A Dark Time has a different take, that in blogging we're discovering ourselves. Or at least, forcing our inner selves to self-evaluate more. Certainly, we are more than what we say, or write. But the problem with the blogself is that it is entirely contained in the content of the written words, and the persona contained therein can become one-dimensional, and worse, predictable. Loren is unpredictable, but deep - I often have to read his entries two or three times to make sure I know where he's going - which is why I enjoy In A Dark Time. So I'll work with his view of the blogging thing for a while.
Posted by hboswell at May 27, 2004 10:59 AM | TrackBackWell, I didn't say that I didn't get blog weary, because I've certainly cut back my schedule in recent months. I try to keep this from seeming too much like work, or I'd simply stop doing it, too.
It has to integrate into what I want to do with my life, or it's not worth the effort.
Truthfully, though, I'd rather read the thoughts of someone who's doing some real thinking once a week than read someone who's just gossiping every day of the week.
What I find special about blogs is that you often see a level of honesty that is rare with everyday acquaintances.
I sometimes like to think that I'm sharing a spiritual journey with some bloggers, something I rarely felt even while attending church.
Posted by: loren at May 27, 2004 11:17 AMWell, you have to remember I'm heading in my 4th year doing this. I think sometimes you do get tired.
More than, though, I'm beginning to question my creativity, my writing, everything that used to make this fun for me. If Loren's writing is deep, I find mine is either shallow, or lost.
Posted by: Shelley at May 27, 2004 01:04 PMThe problem, at least for me, is falling into a rut where I'm just tossing ideas (often other people's) onto the page without doing any interesting analysis. Every once in a while I have to remind myself that the reason I blog is to encourage myself to think, and to publish things that are actually interesting for other people to read.
It's not that hard for me to get back on track (though sometimes it takes a while to realize I've gone off-course). But I can definitely see how taking a break might help.
Posted by: Dave at May 27, 2004 02:43 PM