How long has it been since I posted an introspective post about the nature of blogging? Too long, I think.

The other day, some one said to me, “I’m glad you blog.”

What an odd compliment. I knew what she meant and I appreciated it but still that isn’t the kind of compliment you hear every day.

I’m glad you blog. Not I’m glad you write. Not I’m glad I know you.

This distinction is important.
Because blogging is not either of those things.

Blogging is not writing. Go read some of the Shitty Blogs and you’ll see what I mean. Not that writing doesn’t occasionally appear on a blog. But blogging is not the same as writing. Stephen King writes. Frank McCourt writes. They don’t blog. And really it’s a good thing.

Can you picture SK’s blog?

4/23
I can’t think of anything scary. I’m so full of doubt and angst. I’m still mad a the MoFo how ran my ass over.
4/26
I had really good idea for a book. What if cell phones made every crazy. This is going to be great.
4/27
Thanks for all of your comments. I see your point. Forget the cell phone book, I’ll think of something else.

Or McCourt’s?

10/22
These kids are driving me nuts. This teaching is harder than I thought.
10/30
Jay-sus Christ! These kids are a handful… but I think i have an idea.
11/02
To hell with teaching, I give up. I’m not quitting my job, but I am not going to try to teach these kids how to diagram sentences. I’ll just keeping telling them stories about how it was in Ireland when I was a kid. What does that have to do with teaching? I have no idea, but it shuts them up.

I guess I’m just being silly, but there is a point in here somewhere. Blogging is not writing. And reading a blog doesn’t equate to knowing someone. Blogs are so filtered. Sure we may share very personal details, but we also somethings back. Can you really know me by reading my blog? I don’t think so. You will know things about me, but there is much you will probably never know.

Which brings us back to why. Why do it? Why do I do it? Am I trying to write a great novel? Umm. No. Am I trying to talk to you? No. Pay attention, because this part is important. I am thrilled that people read this shit. Hell I wish even more did. But I am not writing this for you readers. I am writing it because I have things on my mind. And I want to get it out.

There have been moments, in the history of this blog, that I have become distracted by the fact that so and so or thus and such were reading it. The blog suffered for it. And really isn’t it bad enough without any help? I began to think that so and so would like to hear about this, and that might offend thus and such. And I was no longer doing what I had set out to do.

So I do my best to forget about you while I’m writing this tripe. I just take the shit in my head and put out here. If you like it… wonderful. And if not… then that isn’t really the end of the world either, is it?

In some ways, I’m embarrassed to be a blogger. There are so many negative connotations. But I am what I am. And I don’t see me stopping. Even if all of you went away, I’d still have thoughts in my head, that need to come out. And I’d still blog about them.